Federal Transit Aid Threatened by Election Results

Federal aid to transit programs that benefit New York City and the metropolitan region has been placed in jeopardy by last week's Republican sweep of Congress, according to area Democratic representatives preparing to surrender key Congressional committee posts. Daniel Moynihan

will no longer chair the Senate's Finance Committee, Charles Rangel's major role in the House Ways and Means Committee will be diminished, and NJ Senator Frank Lautenberg will relinquish his leadership of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation. While Senator Al D'Amato's

chairmanship of the Banking Committee and Rep. Susan Molinari's likely move to the top of the Public Works Subcommittee might ease any pressure created by the turnover, others pointed to problems posed by the broad agenda for change embodied in the Republicans' Contract with America.

Tax reductions described in the document could mean deep cuts for federal allocations to the region's transit systems. An MTA spokesperson told the NY Daily News that Republicans have targeted transit operating subsidies for years, and that reductions there will put enormous pressure on the

farebox. NJ Rep. Robert Torricelli said to the Bergen Record that No matter what the Republicans might say, they always have a de-emphasis on mass transportation, adding that the state is headed for a difficult period.