Posted on 05/12/2015 5:43:58 AM PDT by don-o
Since 2008, Congress has annually appropriated $150 million for Metro's capital improvement budget under the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act. The District, Maryland, and Virginia have matched that, contributing $50 million each. The proposed GOP legislation would mean Metro would start its fiscal year in July with just $75 million in federal money.
Lawmakers who represent House districts in the Washington metropolitan area criticized the spending bill when it was unveiled last month. "It really feels like a betrayal of trust," Democratic Rep. Don Beyer of Virginia said then. "It also is a failure to recognize that Metro is the nation's transit system. How does Washington, D.C., the capital of the free world, run without a significant, sustained investment in Metro?"
WMATA has said it will take billions of dollars over several decades to repair, replace, and upgrade its aging rail system.
snip
House Republicans have proposed cutting Metro's budget for capital projects before. And Senate Democrats, led by Barbara Mikulski of Maryland, have always restored the funding. But this legislation, The Washington Post's Paul Duggan and Mike DeBonis point out, marks the first time such a reduction has been included in an initial draft of an appropriations bill. This year also marks the first time Republicans control both chambers of Congress since the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act was signed into law. Democrats could face a much tougher challenge in making their case to give WMATA the full $150 million.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationaljournal.com ...
Washington doesn’t need more money it needs less unions and more productivity out of it’s predominately black workers.
Michigan roads are a mess right now and voters voted “HELL NO” to giving lawmakers more money for them.
Even with massive subsidies, it seems Metro is still pretty expensive. It also doesn’t take you that far out of town. The exception is going to be the Silver Line, which will be going all the way to Ashburn if it ever get completed. For most commuters Metro isn’t much of an option
As far as I’m concerned, the inability or trouble a DC denizen has or will have in getting around DC to conduct their business, contribute to the government or just ramble about is a good thing in my book.
As first I thought about it, minority residents, etc. didn’t enter my mind actually. I was most concerned about the bureaucrats, politicians, underlings, media and boots-on-the-ground implementers of national policy for this Administration.
Any day they are hindered, hampered, deprived of, kept from, or delayed from their “appointed rounds” is a grand day for the rest of real America.
Cattle cars would be cheaper.
DEFUND
Paging Willie Green. Willie Green...
And the Metro is not free. Or even inexpensive to ride.
Then send less money.
/johnny
LOL There really doesn't have to be any other prediction
I don’t have a problem with 150 million.
Prove you need it and have that audited. I am sure they will find more fraud and abuse in that number.
Let the beast starve. Quadruple the cost of riding it...that will give them “more money”. Most of the commuters in WDC have lots of money...through high salaries from your tax money.
Let me rephrase what I said. Since only 21% of commuters use Metro, the other 79% must not find it much of an option.
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