New York, NY - Dan Goldman, candidate for Congress in NY-10 and lead counsel for Trump’s first impeachment, today called on the federal government to take on a leadership role in fully funding the MTA and ensuring there are no budget cuts due to the pandemic-era ridership drop. Goldman is also calling for a dedicated revenue stream to supplement fares and ensure the MTA has a stream of income that is not subject to ridership volatility.

“The subway is the lifeblood of New York City and cuts to already substandard service are not an option for New Yorkers,” Dan Goldman said. “In Congress, I will take on a leadership role in demanding the federal government assist New York State with the implementation of a dedicated funding stream for the MTA, so that we are not repeatedly faced with the need to cut this vital service for riders. New Yorkers deserve consistency, safety, and security on their daily commute.”

Pre-pandemic fares accounted for 51.1 percent of the MTA’s operating costs, but, as of May 2022, has accounted for only 31.9 percent, according to the State Comptroller. If ridership does not increase, the MTA is projected to face a $2 billion deficit in 2025 when COVID relief funding runs out.

According to Thomas DiNapoli, New York State Comptroller, if the MTA does not receive extra funding from the city, the state, or federal government, the MTA will be forced to implement budget cuts with devastating impacts to service.

In Congress, Dan will be a leader in pushing the federal government to support New York State with enough funding to cover the upcoming budget shortfall as well as shoulder a portion of the responsibility for funding the implementation of a dedicated funding stream that is guaranteed in perpetuity.

As an additional source of funding for public transportation, Dan Goldman believes that congestion pricing must move forward quickly, without any carve-outs for any reason. Carve-outs will be costly, will require tremendous oversight, investigations, monitoring, and will likely be rife with abuse. Congestion pricing will cut down on traffic, emissions, and contribute to the funding of public transportation infrastructure in New York City.

Dan Goldman and his wife, Corinne, live in lower Manhattan where they are raising their five children. In 2019, Dan Goldman served as lead counsel for the impeachment investigation of President Donald J. Trump for abusing his office for his personal interest regarding Ukraine. In that role, Goldman led depositions and questioned witnesses in public hearings, and testified before the House Judiciary Committee.

Prior to that, Goldman served for a decade as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York working with Preet Bharara. In that role, he held powerful actors accountable and made our city safer. He took on some of the office’s biggest and most consequential cases: prosecuting violent criminals and gun trafficking, mafia bosses and Russian organized crime, and landmark insider trading and major corporate fraud cases. In law school, Goldman contributed to Michelle Alexander’s seminal book, The New Jim Crow, which addressed the inequalities in our criminal justice system.

The Democratic Primary in New York’s 10th congressional district is on Tuesday, August 23.