Norton Will Submit Questions for the Record for Oversight Hearing on Metro, Today

WASHINGTON, D.C.—In advance of today’s House Oversight and Government Reform Committee hearing on the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s (WMATA) SafeTrack program, Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) issued the following statement.

“I regret being unable to participate in this morning’s hearing, but I plan on submitting a series of questions for the record shortly after the hearing to be answered by the witnesses. I continue to be concerned about permanent or even two-year cuts to Metro’s late-night service, continuing after SafeTrack, having lasting negative effects on D.C. and regional economic growth; the need for federal and local dedicated funding sources for WMATA operations; the Federal Transit Administration’s restrictions on WMATA’s access to federal funds; assaults on WMATA operators; and continuing safety issues confronting Metro that have been identified by the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Transit Administration. I appreciate the difficulty of the ongoing work facing General Manager Paul Wiedefeld and believe he must continue to make safety a top priority at WMATA.”