# Rethinking the Federal Role in Transportation

Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-strong-towns-podcast-496821/rethinking-the-federal-role-in-transportation
Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-strong-towns-podcast-496821/rethinking-the-federal-role-in-transportation.md
Podcast: [The Strong Towns Podcast](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-strong-towns-podcast-496821)
Published: 2026-06-08T10:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://podcast.strongtowns.org/e/starve-the-beast-rethinking-the-federal-role-in-transportation/
Audio file: https://mcdn.podbean.com/mf/web/cnxrqr5938gamq44/STP_6-8-26-revised.mp3
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JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-strong-towns-podcast-496821/episodes/rethinking-the-federal-role-in-transportation
Duration seconds: 2533

## Resource

Beth Osborne has watched the same story play out five times: a new federal transportation bill arrives with big language about goals and accountability, states adopt the right words, and nothing changes. Osborne, who led Transportation for America and worked inside USDOT, has been through five federal transportation reauthorizations, watched reform language get adopted and neutralized every single time, and arrived at a conclusion that would have surprised her younger self. Recorded at the Strong Towns National Gathering in Fayetteville, Arkansas, this conversation with Chuck Marohn digs into the gap between what the federal transportation program claims to do and what it actually delivers — on safety, on repair, on congestion, on emissions — and whether there's any version of federal involvement worth keeping. Additional Show Notes Beth Osborne (LinkedIn) Transportation for America (Site) Mission Accomplished Report (Site) The Highway Expansion Lightning Lane (Substack) Chuck Marohn (Substack) This podcast is made possible by Strong Towns members. Thank you! Join fellow members discussing this episode in The Commons.

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## Transcript

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