Citizens Budget Commission (CBC) President Andrew S. Rein released this statement on behalf of the CBC:

New York should not vie for the triple crown of bad governing—knee jerk reaction, shortsighted fiscal maneuvers, and a backroom deal outside the budget process. 

The State should not enact an eleventh-hour fiscal scheme to make up for the poor decision to delay congestion pricing. Congestion pricing revenue would fund critical transit needs. And the MTA’s Twenty-Year Needs Assessment shows that much more investment is needed to get the system to a state of good repair.  

The best decision is to stay the course and implement congestion pricing.  

Failing that, the MTA should include these projects and develop a realistic, holistic 2025-2029 capital program that focuses on essential state of good repair and modernization needs, funds them in the smartest way possible, and transparently involves the public—the real stakeholders. If the State continues to commit to spend billions of dollars outside the budget process, it will further widen its own budget gaps and weaken fiscal stability. 

If New York does not wisely invest in this transit system’s core infrastructure and finance it properly, New York’s economy and New Yorkers’ quality of life will suffer.