The Honorable Mitch McConnell
Majority Leader
United States Senate
S-230, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
Speaker of the House
United States House of Representatives
H-232, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
The Honorable Charles E. Schumer
Minority Leader
United States Senate
S-221, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20510
The Honorable Kevin McCarthy
Minority Leader
United States House of Representatives
H-204, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515
Dear Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, and Leader McCarthy:
On behalf of America’s public transportation industry and its frontline employees who operate and maintain public transit and commuter rail systems across the country every day, we urge you to provide $16.0 billion in immediate, desperately needed supplemental funding to keep our transit and commuter rail systems safe and operational in the months to come, and to prioritize that funding in the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act.
Across the country, public transportation systems and their employees are going to extraordinary measures and are placing themselves at great personal risk to protect the health and safety of their riders, while continuing to ensure that the public’s access to jobs, food, and other critical services are not brought to a halt. However, the extraordinary direct costs and revenue losses resulting from the impacts of COVID-19 are placing an incredible strain on our ability to continue providing this critical public service to Americans.
As highlighted by the American Public Transportation Association, these emergency funds are absolutely vital to maintain essential services such as paratransit services for individuals with disabilities; public transportation for health care workers, law enforcement, first responder, and other safety personnel; and Medicaid recipients who receive medical transportation for kidney dialysis, cancer treatments, and other critical care. Without these funds, the overwhelming majority of public transit agencies will be required to suspend or drastically curtail services. They simply cannot wait for a fourth or fifth round of emergency funding.
Please know that labor and management stand together during this difficult time. We respectfully urge you to provide not only the emergency financial assistance that this national crisis demands, but to do it now to ensure that one of the most important lifelines for essential services in our communities is not stripped away in this national crisis.
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Amalgamated Transit Union
American Public Transportation Association
Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen
International Brotherhood of Teamsters
SMART-Transportation Division
Transportation Communications Union (TCU-IAM)
Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO
Transport Workers Union of America
cc: The Honorable Richard C. Shelby, Chairman, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. Senate
The Honorable Nita M. Lowey, Chairwoman, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Patrick Leahy, Vice Chairman, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. Senate
The Honorable Kay Granger, Ranking Member, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Susan M. Collins, Chairman, Subcommittee on Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies (THUD), Committee on Appropriations, U.S. Senate
The Honorable David E. Price, Chairman, Subcommittee on THUD, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives
The Honorable Jack Reed, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on THUD, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. Senate
The Honorable Mario Diaz-Balart, Ranking Member, Subcommittee on THUD, Committee on Appropriations, U.S. House of Representatives
Members of the Senate and House THUD Subcommittees, Committee on Appropriations