Corinne Kisner, Executive Director of the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO), today issued the following statement in response to the Consolidated Appropriations Act, Congress’ newly passed economic relief package.
In the face of immense need, Congress finally passed a bill that provides $14 billion in sorely-needed relief for transit agencies. These funds will allow transit to avoid catastrophic cuts in the immediate future, and act as a crucial bridge to a stable, long-term funding solution for transit. Ensuring a complete recovery for transit, cities, and the broader economy will require additional, sustained support.
Notably missing from this relief package is any aid for local governments, which continue to be in dire straits. In the face of major fiscal crises, cities will need to lay off and furlough staff, diminishing their ability to provide essential programs and services. Municipalities are the government entities most directly responsive to their residents. The absence of relief for cities leaves America’s ability to fully recover in jeopardy.
Without additional federal help, the clock is ticking for cities and the people who live in them, for American health, and for the American economy. NACTO implores the incoming administration and Congress to urgently take the additional steps we’ve identified, including a more comprehensive relief package in the new year, to ensure the continued ability for our cities and transit agencies to provide the essential services that millions of Americans rely on every day.
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About the National Association of City Transportation Officials (NACTO)
NACTO is an association of 87 major North American cities and transit agencies formed to exchange transportation ideas, insights, and practices and cooperatively approach national transportation issues. The organization’s mission is to build cities as places for people, with safe, sustainable, accessible, and equitable transportation choices that support a strong economy and vibrant quality of life. To learn more, visit nacto.org or follow us on Twitter at @NACTO.
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