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."