Trump official's directive tying transportation grants to birth rates could hinder blue states

President Donald Trump's transportation secretary is instructing his department to prioritize projects for states with higher marriage or birth rates. Lawmakers representing Democratic-controlled states are pushing back, arguing it is an arbitrary move to help out red states that supported the president. The new administration hasn’t yet doled out any major discretionary transportation grants under the $1.1 trillion infrastructure law signed by former President Joe Biden, but the kinds of projects most likely to win them could be vastly different. For example, more money could be directed for highway expansion and less for alternative transportation options such as transit stations, trails and bike lanes.