In the summer of 2020, several councilmembers led an effort to defund the streetcar extension to the Benning Road Metro Station in Ward 7. In doing so, they made several statements on the record about the project and Ward 7. Many of them centering around who would benefit from a streetcar extension, and how. Michael Havlin argues that there thousands of residents who could benefit from the project and developers who want in on the action.