Republican cites mismanagement in opposing new transit funding
Democrats push for larger share of federal spending
April 15, 2021 3:44 PM
By Lillianna Byington
Transit is emerging as a key partisan split as lawmakers draft legislation to reauthorize surface transportation programs and respond to President Joe Bidenâs $2.25 trillion infrastructure plan.
Pat Toomey (R-Pa.) said transit agencies have already received enough money from the federal government. Congress provided agencies with more than $82 billion in regular annual funding and several Covid-19 relief packages over the past year, Toomey said during a Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee hearing Thursday.
âWe sent all these billions of dollars to transit agencies without requiring any kind of reforms to be implemented,â Toomey, the panelâs ranking member, said. âLetâs face it, the financial woes of many big city transit agencies long predate Covid.â No other Republicans on the committee participated in the hearing.