1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

I am deeply disappointed and angered to hear the budget deal struck in Harrisburg yesterday fails to deliver on the promise of a funding boost for public transit and doesn’t even close SEPTA’s budget shortfall for 2025. In February, Gov. Josh Shapiro asked for $161 million for SEPTA for the new budget year, part of a five-year plan to infuse $1.5 billion into transit statewide. The budget that just passed in Harrisburg includes only $53 million for the agency as a one-time deal. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, that’s enough to keep the system going “for a few months.” This is unacceptable. This is a devastating failure hurting the people of Philadelphia and beyond. Starvation budgets are no way to run a transit system that’s a lifeline for so many in the Philadelphia area. And this new budget deal is an alarming signal that our city will not be prepared to accommodate the crowds expected in 2026 during our nation’s 250th birthday celebration and other transit-dependent events like the MLB All-Star Game and the World Cup. The future of our neighborhood train lines, trolley routes, bus routes, and SEPTA service as a whole across the region is in jeopardy. Additional state funding at the levels proposed by Gov. Shapiro is needed now!