Sponsors (11)
The bill shifts port grant funding toward a more even geographic distribution to help underserved regions and strengthen supply‑chain resilience, at the cost of diverting resources from some high‑impact hubs, reducing near‑term economic return in some cases, and adding administrative burden.
Supply chains and the American public — grant funds will be spread across more regions, diversifying port capacity and improving national supply‑chain resilience against disruptions.
Local governments and ports in underserved or rural U.S. regions — increased likelihood of receiving Port Infrastructure Development Program awards because of a required equitable geographic distribution.
Transport workers and regional businesses in non‑coastal or historically underfunded areas — greater investment in ports, terminals, and intermodal links can create jobs and stimulate local economic activity.
Major port hubs and the users that rely on them — high‑need or high‑impact projects in concentrated regions may be deprioritized to satisfy geographic distribution requirements, potentially reducing overall efficiency gains.
Taxpayers — federal funds could be allocated to smaller or lower‑capacity ports that deliver less immediate economic return, lowering cost‑effectiveness of the program.
Federal administering agencies and staff — implementing, tracking, and enforcing an 'equitable geographic distribution' requirement will increase administrative complexity and workload.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Requires the Port and Intermodal Improvement Program to ensure equitable geographic distribution of selected projects among U.S. regions.
Official title: To ensure an equitable geographic distribution of projects selected through the Port Infrastructure Development Program.
Introduced December 18, 2025 by David Joyce · Last progress December 18, 2025
Adds an explicit requirement that projects chosen under the Port and Intermodal Improvement Program be distributed equitably across U.S. regions. The change amends existing statute language to direct the selecting official to consider geographic equity when awarding port infrastructure grants, without creating new funding or program structures.