Infrastructure Grants: Status of Funding to Tribes, States, Localities, and Territories as of December 31, 2024
Government Accountability Office04/29/2025
Fast Facts
The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act made $711.8 billion available for grants to Tribes, states, localities, and territories. The grants are intended to support transportation, clean energy and power, broadband, and other infrastructure projects. Fifteen federal agencies reported they got funds to award to Tribes, states, localities, and territories. The Department of Transportation got 74% of these funds.
Agencies can't use some of the grant funds until FY 2026. Of the funds that they can use before then, agencies have made plans to spend (i.e., "obligated") almost half and have spent about 20% of the funds, as of December 31, 2024.
Highlights
What GAO Found
Fifteen federal agencies reported that in total they were appropriated approximately $711.8 billion in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) funding available to award as grants to Tribes, states, localities, and territories across over 100 programs. The Department of Transportation was appropriated 74 percent of the available funds for these recipients.
Agency Reported Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act Appropriations for Grant Funding Available to Tribes, States, Localities, and Territories
Notes: Agency officials provided these data between September 2024 and March 2025.
Grants include federal funding obligated through cooperative agreements.
Some of the appropriated funds are also available to entities other than Tribes, states, localities, and territories as determined by the agencies.
Appropriations data excludes all actual and projected set-asides, administrative expenses, transfers to inspectors general, and other expenses reported by the agencies.
The totals by agency may not add up to the $711.8 billion in Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act funds identified by agencies as available to Tribes, states, localities, and territories due to rounding.
Of the $711.8 billion in potential IIJA funds for grants identified, $580.6 billion (82 percent) became available to the 15 agencies to obligate toward infrastructure projects between fiscal year 2022 and fiscal year 2025. The remaining $131.2 billion (18 percent) will become available for obligation in fiscal year 2026. The obligation deadline for these funds varies depending on the program receiving funds
According to data obtained from USAspending.gov, as of December 31, 2024, agencies reported obligating $275.1 billion (47 percent) and outlaying $119.4 billion (21 percent) of the $580.6 billion available between fiscal year 2022 and fiscal year 2025. These obligations and outlays represent 39 and 17 percent, respectively, of the $711.8 billion in IIJA funds identified as available to these recipients.
On January 20, 2025, President Trump signed Executive Order “Unleashing American Energy,” which directs agencies to pause disbursement of IIJA funds and review the processes, policies, and programs for issuing grants for the corresponding programs. On January 21, 2025, the Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum clarifying that the pause on IIJA funds disbursement applies only to funds supporting programs, projects, or activities that contravene administration policies outlined in the executive order. Additionally, on February 26, 2025, President Trump signed an Executive Order directing agencies to review certain grant programs in order to reduce spending and promote efficiency.
The extent of public reporting on performance measures and results for IIJA programs varied by agency as of January 2025. Some agencies told GAO that they plan to report more performance information about their IIJA programs in the future.
Why GAO Did This Study
The IIJA, enacted in November 2021, appropriated funds to federal agencies to support transportation, clean energy and power, broadband, and other infrastructure projects. Agencies continue to distribute much of this funding through grants to Tribes, states, localities, and territories.
GAO prepared this report at the initiative of the Comptroller General. This report describes IIJA grant funding and the status of that funding to Tribes, states, localities, and territories. It also describes how agencies are reporting on the implementation of the funds.
To conduct this work, GAO reviewed federal laws, regulations, and guidance as well as agency documentation. GAO analyzed publicly available agency data, including data on USAspending.gov, and interviewed officials from 15 agencies that were appropriated IIJA funds available to issue grant awards to Tribes, states, localities, and territories.
For more information, contact Jeff Arkin at arkinj@gao.gov.