Salud O. Carbajal

“I visited the Adelanto ICE facility to meet with constituents from the Central Coast and hear the truth about their detention,” said Rep. Carbajal. “Their stories echo what other detainees from facilities across the U.S. have consistently reported: substandard medical care, inadequate facility maintenance, and a lack of some basic essentials like blankets. The stories shared by these Central Coast residents reflect the disastrous reality of the Trump administration’s immigration policies. While ICE may argue that the issues I saw at the facility could be fixed with more funding; I argue that the solution is to stop the mass detention policies that have overcrowded these facilities, separated families, and inflicted terror across our country. I will continue to block additional federal funds for ICE and will not stop showing up at these facilities until we see comprehensive reform.”

U.S. Representatives Salud Carbajal (D-CA-24) and Blake Moore (R-UT-01) introduced the bipartisan Medium Transit Intensive Cities (MTIC) Authorization Act, a bill to provide more federal support for transportation infrastructure in medium-sized cities. The bill would create a new Medium Transit Intensive Cities (MTIC) category within the Section 5307 transit‑funding program. The program would be modeled on the successful Small Transit Intensive Cities (STIC) formula but designed for medium‑sized urban areas with 200,000 to 999,999 residents. Read the full text of the legislation here. While medium‑sized urban areas often provide transit service comparable in quality and intensity to large metropolitan systems, the current federal funding formula for infrastructure projects does not adequately recognize or reward their performance. “Many medium‑sized cities on the Central Coast and across the country have strong transit systems that people depend on to get to work, school, and to stay connected with their communities,” said Rep. Carbajal. “But the current federal transit funding framework isn’t adequate for these communities, leaving too many of them without the support they need. My bipartisan bill closes that gap by ensuring we invest in transit systems that serve their riders effectively, no matter the community’s size.”

"Existing transit programs often favor either small or large cities, overlooking medium-sized cities such as Ogden and Layton in Northern Utah. By creating a federal set-aside to reward high-performing transit agencies operating in medium-sized cities, we can ensure that transit agencies are able to meet citizens' needs and make the long-term investments necessary to support growing populations. I’m excited to work with Representative Carbajal to introduce the Medium Transit Intensive Cities Authorization Act to support medium-sized communities that are providing high-quality transit options,” said Rep. Moore.