Comrades, the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is quietly shaping the next transportation-authorization bill, and we cannot let corporate priorities drown out the needs of working-class communities like ours in New Orleans. Under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) of 2021, programs like “Reconnecting Communities” and “Safe Streets and Roads for All” were born. The IIJA also boosted “Transportation Alternatives” — critical federal funds for walking, biking, and neighborhood infrastructure — by 60%.

But those hard-won gains are now on the chopping block. Representative Sam Graves (R-MO), chairman of the Committee, put it bluntly:

“It’s gonna be a traditional highway bill … We’re not gonna be spending money on murals and train stations or bike paths or walking paths. … We’re going to spend money on traditional infrastructure, that’s roads and bridges.”

If he gets his way, federal funding for bicycling and walking could vanish entirely by 2031. That’s political violence against working-class people, especially in cities like ours where car-centric planning has long marginalized working class neighborhoods.

We need every working class voices in Louisiana — especially in New Orleans — to demand a transportation bill that serves us, not developers or real estate speculators.

What You Can Do Right Now:

Contact your U.S. Representative — Tell them you reject Graves’ highway-first agenda. Insist on sustained, even expanded, funding for walking and biking infrastructure.
Share your story — Explain how bike lanes, greenways, or safe streets in your neighborhood have made life better (or how their absence has hurt you). Personal testimony brings this fight home.
Push them for a people-centered plan — Ask: Who is the transportation bill for? Why prioritize highways for profit when our communities need safe, sustainable, climate-just infrastructure?

📧 Sample Email / Letter (Copy-Paste Template)

Subject: Invest in a Transportation Future for People — Not Just Highways

Dear Representative [YOUR REP’S NAME],

I am a constituent from New Orleans, and I am writing to demand that you oppose any version of the next transportation bill that sacrifices bicycling, walking, and public-oriented infrastructure in favor of “traditional highway” spending.

Under the IIJA, programs like Reconnecting Communities and Safe Streets & Roads for All brought hope to working-class neighborhoods. But if Representative Sam Graves succeeds, these investments will be gutted — and marginalized communities will suffer again.

I ask you to:

Stand up for walking and bicycling infrastructure in New Orleans and across Louisiana.
Hold firm against efforts to eliminate federal funding for non-highway transportation until at least 2031.
Prioritize public safety, community health, and equitable access — not corporate profit.

Finally, I want you to know what this fight means to your constituents: [Here, insert your personal story — maybe how bike lanes have made your commute safer or how walking paths have brought families closer together].

Thank you for standing with working-class people. I will be watching closely how you vote on this issue.

In solidarity,
[Your Name]
[City / ZIP]

🏛️ Key Louisiana Congressional Representatives to Email or Contact

Here are some of our U.S. House Representatives — feel free to copy the template above into their contact forms on their websites:

Representative District Contact / Website

Mike Johnson 4th District Contact form at his website

Julia Letlow 5th District Contact at letlow.house.gov

Cleo Fields 2nd District fields.house.gov

Steve Scalise 1st District scalise.house.gov

Troy Carter 2nd District troycarter.house.gov

Clay Higgins 3rd District clayhiggins.house.gov

CRITICAL MASS NOLA

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