Metro won the first step in crucial funding Monday when President Obama included $150 million for the agency in his budget.
The proposal also designated the first $30 million to bolster federal oversight of subways nationwide, a measure sought after Metro’s deadly June train crash.
The $150 million would be the second installment of a 10-year $1.5 billion pledge from Congress authorized in 2008 but requiring annual appropriations. The District, Maryland and Virginia are required to match $50 million each.
The president’s budget says the money must be used for Metro’s “most critical safety needs.”
Riders have called for more local and federal money. The Metro board has cited a need for more federal funds as they face an $189 million budget shortfall.
But the board’s new federal representative, Mortimer Downey, called the chances for more federal money “remote.” — Kytja Weir
