In Beacon Hill budget debate, how much to give MBTA emerges as sticking point
The dueling proposals also land at a high-stakes time for the transit agency. Officials said the MBTA is burning through its reserve funds, and could face a
The circumstances have prompted state lawmakers to commit substantial — in some cases, record — amounts of new money. They just
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'We believe this is enough money. It's very, very significant investments in the MBTA,' state Senator Michael Rodrigues, the chamber's budget chief, said Tuesday of the Senate's budget proposal.
In all, the Senate is proposing to dedicate at least $820 million to the T's operating budget. That includes a $500 million infusion in the primary budget proposal, which it will add to and debate later this month, plus another $320 million in a separate bill backed by a
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Rodrigues, a Westport Democrat whose district isn't serviced by the T's core subway system, said the Senate also wants to ensure there is 'regional equity' in how it spreads tax dollars. The chamber's budget proposal would commit $214 million to the state's other regional transit agencies, $10 million more than the House.
'We want to ensure that they have resources to provide transportation services for [those residents] also,' Rodrigues said.
The funding for the T, however, would fall far short of what passed the House, where its speaker, Quincy's Ron Mariano, and budget chief, the North End's Aaron Michlewitz, directly represent those who use the MBTA's subway system every day.
The House passed legislation in recent weeks dedicating at least $1.35 billion that could go toward operating costs at the T. That includes $637 million in its
Taken together, the chambers are offering visions for the T that are $530 million apart.
There's no shortage of other challenges. The Senate's proposed bottom line hews closely to that of the House, hiking spending 6.3 percent over the budget the Legislature passed last year and funneling billions of more dollars into the state's Medicaid program.
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Rodrigues said the Senate is proposing to dedicate $120 million to fund the
Like the House, Rodrigues said the Senate's initial version isn't building automatic contingencies into its plan amid the uncertainty in federal help. President Trump's administration has already withheld or cut
'If they make significant reductions in Medicaid reimbursements, all bets are off,' said Rodrigues, who conceded that this year's budget cycle is 'probably the most challenging one' he's handled in the six years as the chamber's ways and means chair. 'The drama is going to be in and around the fiscal [debate], in the numbers.'
Senate President Karen E. Spilka said that challenge is rooted directly in the uncertainty about how much financial pain a Republican-run Washington could inflict on traditionally blue Massachusetts.
'The federal government might decide to punish this state financially for being who we are,' the Ashland Democrat said. 'That, to me, is among the worst punishments possible.'
This is a developing story and will be updated.
Matt Stout can be reached at
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