Rep. DeFazio’s Amendment Required to Be Withdrawn

This news came in late in the day from Transportation from America:

We received word this afternoon that Rep. DeFazio’s amendment that would have provided $2 billion in assistance to transit agencies was required to be withdrawn. We’ll post more as we learn it, but had something to do with parliamentary issues.

If you called Rep. Slaughter on the Rules Committee today, we thank you very much for your support and effort to get that crucial funding included in the economic recovery package. (And we point out that calls to her should no longer be made.)

Now the best hope for getting more funding for transit is Rep. Jerry Nadler’s amendment, which would add $3 billion for transit to the stimulus bill. T4A suggests calling the offices of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (202-225-0100) and House Appropriations Committee Chair David Obey (202-225-3365) to say Nadler’s amendment must make it to the House floor.

  • Nancy Pelosi: (202) 225-0100
    Dave Obey: (202) 225-3365

  • JK

    Unfortunately, Nadler’s amendement does not help bus and subway riders facing big service cuts and fare hikes. Obama and his fiscal czar Larry Summers should be pushing transit operating support over capital improvements, just as they are providing block grants to states to support Medicaid and local school systems. It is a travesty for Obama to say no to additional transit capital funding while also rejecting transit operating support.

  • rex

    Profoundly disappointing. The country is teetering on the verge of economic collapse and congress is choking transit systems so those who do have jobs will have no choice but to drive there. Brilliant! Transit is jobs. It is people working to provide a service. That service is getting people to their jobs. Not earnestly funding transit at a time of crisis is unconscionable.

    Progressives driving their Prius’ off the edge of the earth, and neo-cons arguing whether oxygen exists – send in the clowns, the fat lady is warming up.

  • The carbon-fuel industry has USD trillions invested in tankers, pipelines, and refineries. They will use their political power to build roads and fight wars until they are stopped by a mass movement or the biosphere is destroyed. Free public transit is their achilles heel and our best hope.

  • rootboy

    The staffer I spoke to at Rep. Obey’s office was dismissive – “there’s 9 billion for transit in there and you want more?”. Not promising.

  • J

    The staffer I just spoke to at Obey’s office seemed to be pretty receptive. I said we’d been gutting our transit systems for 50 years, and 3 billion dollars now was more than justified.

ALSO ON STREETSBLOG

House Nixes Funding for Transit Service. Where Is Schumer?

By Ben Fried |
Chuck, what about keeping transit affordable? Last night’s news about the denial of Rep. DeFazio’s amendment to fund transit operations left us wondering whether parliamentary issues were really the deciding factor. In general, it appears, the Democratic leadership is coming down hard against any add-ons to the recovery package. "There’s a desire to keep the […]

Call to Action: Win Back Stimulus Funding for Transit Service

By Sarah Goodyear |
There’s a sense of urgency on the Streetsblog Network this morning. Transportation for America, using media reports of projected cuts to transit services across the country, has put together a map that dramatizes just how painful those cuts could be: The far-reaching and broad cuts will directly affect transit employees and riders who are among […]

Call Now for a Better Transit Stimulus

By Ben Fried |
We’re at a critical moment for green transportation in the stimulus package. The key piece on the table now is Jerrold Nadler’s amendment to boost transit investment by $3 billion. A decision could be reached as soon as today, so now is the time to make those phone calls. The people to reach are the […]

Schumer Proposes $6.5B More for Transit in Senate Stim Bill

By Ben Fried |
Senator Chuck Schumer has unveiled an amendment to the Senate stimulus bill that would increase transit funding by $6.5 billion — to $14.9 billion overall. This would direct $2.9 billion more to transit, in total, than the House stimulus bill that passed last week. For the wonks out there, transit funding would break down like […]

Watch Now: U.S. Reps Testify About Stim Package

By Ben Fried |
Check out C-SPAN’s streaming video of the House Rules Committee for a glimpse of our federal elected officials in action. The big coming attraction for Streetsbloggers is Jerrold Nadler’s amendment to boost investment in transit. As we go to press, Nadler is set to testify any minute. Rumor has it, the amendment has the backing […]

Last Chance to Tell House Reps to Vote for Transit

By Ben Fried |
We’re getting word that the House will vote on Jerrold Nadler’s amendment to the stimulus bill in less than an hour. $3 billion for transit is on the line. If you haven’t called your representative yet, there’s still time to speak up for more investment in green transportation. Here’s how to get your message through. […]