Reps. Crowley, Rangel, Nadler, City DOT Commissioner, MTA Chairman To Speak Out Against Cuts to Public Transit Today

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The following is a press release from the office of U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler:

On Monday, February 6 at 11:00 a.m., Reps. Joe Crowley, Charles Rangel, Jerrold Nadler, along with New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan and Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) Chairman Joseph Lhota, will speak out against House Republicans’ effort to cut federal support for public transit. The House GOP is expected to bring the federal transportation bill up for a vote on in the coming days and, as drafted, it will strip away the dedicated funding stream for the Mass Transit Account, which funds key investments in New York City’s subways, trains, commuter rails, and other forms of public transit and thus, adversely affect City and suburban residents and commuters.

WHAT

: Press Conference to Speak Out Against Cuts to the MTA, including New York City’s subway system, MetroNorth, and the Long Island Railroad

WHO

:

  • · Reps. Crowley, Rangel, Nadler
  • · City Department of Transportation Commissioner Janette Sadik-Khan
  • · MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota
  • · Others TBA
WHEN

: Monday, February 6, 2012

11 a.m.

WHERE

: Grand Central Station (information booth in the center of the main concourse at Grand Central Terminal)

BACKGROUND:

In 1983 President Regan signed into law the Surface Transportation Assistance Act, which created a dedicated funding source for public transportation within the Highway Trust Fund. This dedicated source of revenue, backed by the federal gas tax, allowed states, municipalities and local transit agencies to plan and fund capital projects with the certainty needed to make these infrastructure investments as efficient and cost-effective for tax payers as possible. As congestion rose in urban areas, and rural areas saw their share of car-less, low-income families rise, the need to fund this account has grown. The Republican proposal to redirect federal gasoline tax revenues away from public transportation would make this funding shortage worse and would make transit funding subject to the appropriations process, creating uncertainty for these critical job-creating infrastructure projects.

U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler represents New York’s 8th Congressional District, which includes Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Hell’s Kitchen, Chelsea, SoHo, Greenwich Village, TriBeCa, the Financial District and Battery Park City. In Brooklyn, the 8th District includes parts of Borough Park, Red Hook, Sunset Park, Bay Ridge, Bensonhurst, Coney Island, Brighton Beach, Gravesend, Dyker Heights, Bath Beach and Seagate.