Press Releases

Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA) released the following statement:

“The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act reauthorized the federal government’s annual dedicated funding commitment to WMATA. The historic legislation included my bill, the Metro Accountability and Investment Act, which conditioned continued federal funding on WMATA making reforms to strengthen the independence of the WMATA Office of Inspector General (OIG). While WMATA has met many of these conditions, I was deeply dismayed by the findings in the WMATA OIG report that show WMATA has not taken the necessary action to ensure independent hiring and procurement authority for the OIG.

This disappointment is compounded by the Board’s decision to force out the current Inspector General, an essential voice for accountability, the second such incidence in the past two years. The law mandates that Metro maintain an independent inspector general with broad power to ensure public safety and accountability. Metro must comply with the law.

This is why I have long insisted on greater independence for the WMATA OIG. These reforms must happen to continue a productive collaboration between WMATA and Congress in our shared effort to improve the safety and reliability of the system and promote a transit system that is absolutely essential to the operations of the federal government.”