The American Public Transportation Association (APTA) sent a letter last week to the White House and Congress, urging them to open the U.S. Department of Transportation.
The public transportation industry employs more than 420,000 people, supports millions of private-sector jobs and contributes $71 billion annually to the U.S. economy, APTA said.
Public transportation agencies rely on grants to support projects and operations, APTA said, and because of the government shutdown, the Federal Transit Administration is unable to award grants, or enter into contracts and cooperative agreements.
The shutdown also is adversely affecting repairs and State Safety Oversight certification, APTA said.
“More than one-third (36 percent) of public transit agency members indicated that the government shutdown is substantially impacting their operations and/or capital programs,” APTA said. “Agencies report cutting back service, delaying hiring, transferring capital funds to operations, using reserve funds, and other direct impacts. For instance, the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority estimates that it is losing approximately $400,000 in fare and parking revenue each weekday of the shutdown. With each passing day, these impacts only get worse.”
The letter was sent to President Donald Trump, Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Charles Schumer (D-NY), Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA).