July 28, 2020

Statement from MTA Chairman and CEO Patrick J. Foye on HEALS Act:

“The HEALS Act put forward by the U.S. Senate is shameful. This backwards bill will only further devastate our country and economy with no dedicated funding for mass transit – the circulatory system of the nation – and no new support for state and local governments. The MTA in New York is suffering a once-in-100-year fiscal tsunami as a result of the COVID-19 crisis’ impact on ridership and non-fare revenues. We need an injection of $3.9 billion in additional emergency federal funding just to keep the lights on this year.

“Our projected shortfall grows to $11 billion through 2021 if state and local governments are forced to reduce their subsidies by an additional $600 million in the absence of federal support. This operating shortfall is compounded by the loss of $1 billion annually beginning in 2021 in congestion pricing revenues due to federal inaction, bringing the total to $12 billion. Without federal relief, the MTA will have no other choice but to make drastic service reductions, pandemic-related fare and toll increases, job cuts, or gut our historic capital plan. None of this can be allowed to happen – we can’t afford to turn the clock back to the bad old days of the 1970s. If the federal government fails to act, this pandemic will end up on the backs of riders and stymie not just New York’s economic rebound, but the nation’s as well. Washington: don’t let it happen.”

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