The horse-trading has begun in earnest as Congress considers another coronavirus relief bill amid a precipitous rise in COVID-19 cases. Congress looks likely to take up in earnest a $908 billion bill to aid Americans through the harsh prospects of the winter. A major sticking point for Republicans had been aid to city and state governments. Notably, this includes a potential of more than $15 billion for mass transit systems, which have been hemorrhaging money and riders, and recently have proposed major service cutbacks and layoffs as a result of impending budget crises.
Notably, $15 billion falls well short of the $32 billion requested by the transit industry. Yet, the scope of the transit crisis is severe and requires immediate attention of any sort: In the nation’s capital alone, officials have proposed cuts that would eliminate weekend rail service, close 16 percent of stations, and lay off thousands of workers. Low-income households reliant on transit would be especially affected.
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