Trump’s DOT wants D.C. to kill its traffic cameras — and a $267 million revenue stream

Feds Target 546 Cameras Across the District

The Department of Transportation wants to shut down every traffic camera in Washington, D.C.

The proposal, sent to the White House in early January 2026, would ban all 546 speed, red light, and stop sign cameras as part of a surface transportation bill Congress must pass this year. D.C. officials are furious.

The cameras generated $267 million last year alone, and traffic deaths dropped to their lowest level since 2012.

What happens next could reshape how the nation’s capital enforces its roads.

Camera Revenue Nearly Doubled in Three Years

The money has grown fast.

In fiscal year 2023, D.C. collected $139.5 million from automated traffic enforcement. That figure climbed to $213.3 million in 2024, then jumped again to $267.3 million in 2025. The cameras now fund a significant chunk of city services.

Mayor Muriel Bowser warned that eliminating the cameras would create a $1 billion gap in the city’s long-term financial plan, forcing cuts to everyday services.

Pennsylvania Congressman Wants Cameras Gone

Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania is leading the charge. He says automated traffic enforcement is being used to generate revenue, not enhance safety.

Perry introduced the Stop DC CAMERA Act in September 2025, arguing that Congress has constitutional authority over the District.

He has called the cameras “a shameless money grab” and said the city is balancing its budget on traffic fines.

Traffic Deaths Dropped 52% in 2025

The timing of the federal push is awkward.

New data show that 25 people were killed in traffic crashes in the District in 2025, down from 52 deaths in 2024. That is the lowest number since 2012.

The National Safety Council reported D.C. had a 67% drop in traffic fatalities in the first half of 2025, leading all states and the District.

City officials credit enforcement, including the cameras, for the turnaround.

Out-of-State Drivers Get Most Tickets

Critics say the cameras are designed to catch visitors. D.C. data shows more than 80% of camera tickets go to out-of-state drivers.

Maryland drivers made up roughly 40% of tickets, Virginia drivers followed with 26%, and D.C. residents received 21%.

The First Camera Went Up in 1999

D.C. has been watching drivers for over 25 years.

In August 1999, the Metropolitan Police Department activated its first red light camera at New York Avenue and 4th Street NW. In that first month alone, that one camera captured 7,598 violations.

The program expanded steadily, and today 546 cameras blanket the District, monitoring everything from speeding and red lights to stop signs and bus lanes.

Vision Zero Missed Its 2024 Deadline

Mayor Bowser launched Vision Zero in 2015 with a promise: zero traffic deaths or serious injuries by 2024. Instead, fatalities fluctuated and peaked at 52 deaths in both 2023 and 2024 — a 16-year high.

The program finally showed results in 2025, with deaths falling to 25, but only after the original deadline had passed.

The sudden drop has become the city’s main argument for keeping the cameras.

The STEER Act Is Working

D.C. passed the Strengthening Traffic Enforcement, Education, and Responsibility Act in 2024 to give cameras more teeth.

On September 17, 2025, the attorney general secured its first court judgment under the law, ordering a Virginia woman to pay $77,100 for 244 traffic violations.

The office has since filed 24 lawsuits against dangerous drivers who collectively owe hundreds of thousands in unpaid fines.

The law lets D.C. pursue drivers from any state.

Speed Governors Are Now on the Table

The STEER Act introduced a first-in-the-nation program.

The DMV can now install speed governors in the cars of people convicted of criminal reckless and aggravated reckless driving, limiting how fast the vehicle can go.

Drivers must remain in the program for one year, with the time increasing by a year for each additional conviction.

A fourth conviction results in lifelong enrollment.

Bowser Says City Services Will Suffer

The mayor is not backing down. Bowser said traffic enforcement cameras are a critical tool in the work to save lives and make streets safer, and that removing them would endanger people in the community. She pointed to the 52% drop in fatalities as proof that the system is working.

Without camera revenue, the city would have to cut programs or raise money elsewhere.

Congress Has Failed to Kill Cameras Before

This is not the first attempt.

A House-authored fiscal 2026 spending bill would have barred the District from using funds for automated enforcement, though it never received a floor vote.

Perry’s Stop DC CAMERA Act passed the House Oversight Committee on a party-line vote but stalled in the Senate.

The DOT proposal takes a different path, attaching the ban to must-pass infrastructure legislation.

The Real Deadline Is September 2026

The surface transportation bill is the vehicle for this fight.

The existing authorization, established through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, will expire on September 30, 2026, if not reauthorized. Congress must pass a new bill to keep federal highway and transit funding flowing.

The Trump administration is betting that lawmakers will accept the camera ban as part of a package too important to reject.

D.C. is betting they will not.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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