Federal funding bill maintains $150 million for Metro

Metro would maintain $150 million in federal grant money under a government spending bill set to be voted in Congress this week.

The funding would be authorized through the end of September. Metro receives the $150 million annual allotment under the 2008 Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act, which authorized $1.5 billion over a decade, but it is unknown if the program will be renewed when it expires in 2018.

Here's the House Appropriations language which would continue $150m PRIIA funding for #wmata — set to be voted on later this week. pic.twitter.com/IfOcMWDGYk

— Martine Powers (@martinepowers) May 1, 2017

Rep. Barbara Comstock (R-Va.) and Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), chairman of the House Appropriations Sub-committee on Transportation, Housing, and Urban Development, worked to secure the funds, according to Comstock’s office.

“The federal government will again fulfill its statutory obligation to Metro by meeting its $150 million obligation to provide a dollar-for-dollar match in combination with Virginia, Maryland, and the District of Columbia for Metro’s capital budget,” Comstock said in a statement. “This funding partnership stems from a 2008 law that promised a 10-year federal commitment and much of these resources are used for safety improvements and replacing old rail cars and other equipment.”

The grant fund’s renewal was first reported by WTOP.

Comstock said Monday she is in the process of drafting a Metro reform bill that would overhaul that agency’s governance and labor practices.