Rep. Comstock’s statement on Metro Safety Commission

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (R-VA) released the following statement Feb. 10 after the announcement by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) on temporarily withholding FTA grant funds due to the Metro Safety Commission not yet being operational:

“I spoke to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao yesterday and received her commitment to work with us to reform Metro and make it into a safe, reliable transit system for our region.  Safety is everybody’s priority. The February 9th deadline was set-up by the prior Administration without taking into account the legislative sessions of each jurisdiction.  Those jurisdictions will likely pass the Metro Safety Commission legislation in short order.  Once that is complete, staff needs to be hired and the FTA needs to certify the commission. As the process proceeds, funds that are currently being withheld will be released.  As long as the Metro Safety Commission becomes operational, the region will not lose any federal money.  I look forward to working with Secretary Chao and all stakeholders to stand-up the Metro Safety Commission, and to make broader changes to the system for the benefit of the region and get Metro on the right track.”