Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins rejected the MTA's $68-billion capital plan, highlighting their concerns about the unresolved funding issues. Heastie stated that without sufficient financial clarity, it is imprudent to proceed with such a significant investment in the transit system. They insisted on the need for a more detailed funding strategy before any capital budget plans could be accepted, echoing a common exercise of caution in legislative fiscal planning.
Janno Lieber, MTA CEO, expressed great concern over the rejection of the capital plan, describing it as a Catch-22 scenario. He urged that the MTA needs an approved plan before funding issues for that plan can be worked out. In his words, "To veto the [capital] plan because funding issues remain to be resolved creates an almost insurmountable Catch-22 scenario," underscoring the legislative complexity that jeopardizes vital transit initiatives.
Lieber pointed out the timing issues created by the rejection, which could result in a cascading series of failures for the transit system. He explained that the rejection delays essential repair work set to commence on Jan. 1, 2025. He noted, "The 2025-29 plan funds crucial state-of-good-repair track work performed by thousands of in-house MTA personnel starting on Jan. 1, 2025," emphasizing the urgency of the situation.
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