Los Angeles is seeking $2 billion in federal funding to ready its transportation network for the 2028 Olympic Games, but the Trump administration did not include the request in its budget proposal.
LA Metro officials say the funding is essential to help move the millions of spectators, athletes, workers and visitors expected to flood the region during the Games.
About half of the money would be used to temporarily secure, operate and store nearly 1,750 extra buses to expand transit capacity during the event.
The remaining $1 billion would support pedestrian upgrades, dedicated high-speed traffic lanes and street design improvements linking key Olympic venues across the city.
The House Appropriations Committee has moved forward with an initial $875 million installment, but the broader funding package still requires approval from both chambers of Congress and, ultimately, President Trump’s signature.
The next federal fiscal year begins Oct. 1, adding urgency to the push for Olympic transportation funding.
LA Metro’s board and California Democrats have repeatedly lobbied federal officials for the money, including direct efforts to persuade the Trump administration to include the request in its annual budget.
That effort was unsuccessful.
The administration’s budget did include increased federal funding for Olympic security involving the Department of Homeland Security, FBI and Secret Service.
Trump, meanwhile, has repeatedly questioned whether Los Angeles is ready to host the Games.
He previously threatened to move the 2028 Olympics out of the city if local leadership, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, failed to improve crime and homelessness conditions.
Now Democratic lawmakers are warning that Washington’s refusal to fully fund LA’s transportation wish list could leave visitors facing more traffic, fewer buses and unreliable public transit.
Rep. Laura Friedman said Wednesday that the lack of federal assistance could worsen congestion and public transit reliability.
“That will be a terrible result, not just for Los Angeles, but for the whole nation,” Friedman said.
Friedman convened a panel in West Hollywood with Democratic colleagues to grill regional transportation officials about whether LA will be ready to move the millions of visitors expected for the Games.
Rep. Judy Chu also called for federal assistance.
“ Our local partners can’t do this alone,” Chu said. “Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games is an opportunity for the entire country, and Los Angeles should have a strong federal partner to help us prepare.”
The transportation funding fight comes as LA faces another Olympic-related financial headache.
City Controller Kenneth Mejia has requested financial documents from LA28, the private organization behind the Games, as questions mount over the city’s financial relationship with the organization.
“Never before in this City’s history has a private org been backstopped by the City of LA to carry out an endeavor of this size and cost.
Today, we requested all financial documents from LA28 owed to the City to provide the transparency & accountability that you all deserve,” he wrote on X.
Under the Constitution, federal spending requires approval by Congress, and the president must sign the final spending bill before the money can be spent.
