ARLINGTON, Va. — As the nation gets ready for a second Trump administration the DMV gears up for what that means here locally. Including the effect on public transit.
During the Biden administration, local transit officials said federal dollars really helped with public transportation here in the region, especially with budget issues.
However, with the return of President Trump, there is a reminder that the previous Trump administration was not particularly friendly towards public transit.
“We just had the meeting yesterday, one meeting, yesterday and there is concern,” Matt de Ferranti who chairs the Northern Virginia Transportation Commission said.
The NVTC steers the public transportation plans and budgets.
“Operating funding from the federal government has been critical to sustaining Metro, which is so key to Arlington and the region,” de Ferranti said.
So why are NVTC members concerned?
Look back to 2018, when the Trump administration tried to cut $150 million from WMATA’s budget.
Or you can read into Conservative think tank 'The Heritage Foundation’s' Project 2025’s proposal to eliminate lots of federal funding for public transit. The project was written with former Trump allies' assistance.
That is enough reason for officials to have deep concerns about future budgets.
“There are also a ton of federal grants that have been provided,” de Ferranti said. “I think it's pretty clear that those opportunities will be more limited and could be severely, more limited.”
Metro and public transportation across the DMV continue to face future budget issues. For example, WMATA does not have a stable funding source. Leaders have tried to come up with one like a tax that pays for Metro across D.C., Maryland, and Virginia.
“We have a big challenge, we have to address with sustaining the operating funding for Metro,” he said.
de Ferranti said before the region turns its eyes to Trump, DC, Maryland, and Virginia need to agree on a way to fund regional transportation into the future.
“I want to take the focus from worry about the potential problems to trying to own what we can do as a community,” he said.