7 days ago
Republican Floats Bill to Rename DC Metro the 'Trump Train'
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"All Aboard the TRUMP TRAIN!" Representative Greg Steube, a Florida Republican, said in a social media post introducing his bill, the Make Autorail Great Again Act, on Thursday.
The bill seeks to halt federal funding to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) until it formally changes its name to the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA), and the Metrorail is called "Trump Train."
Newsweek reached out to the WMATA for comment via email.
Why It Matters
The WMATA includes Washington, D.C.'s metro and bus system, which carried nearly 200 million people in the 2023 fiscal year. Of those millions of riders, 51 percent were Metrobus riders, surpassing the 95.8 million Metrorail riders by 6.7 million riders.
The WMATA receives $150 million in federal funding as part of the federal-state partnership established through the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008.
While the bill is unlikely to pass, it reflects a broader trend of proposals to name public infrastructure after Trump, including a recent effort to rename Dulles Airport after him.
A train arrives at Metro Center station in Washington, D.C., on April 23, 2021
A train arrives at Metro Center station in Washington, D.C., on April 23, 2021
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
What To Know
Steube's bill states that "no federal funds may be provided" to the WMATA until it is renamed as the "Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access," or WMAGA. The bill stipulates that the Metrorail must be called "Trump Train."
The short bill doesn't explain the reasoning for the change. However, Steube said in his press release that the bill was written in the "spirit of DOGE."
DOGE (the Department of Government Efficiency), which billionaire Elon Musk headed until his departure yesterday, aimed to champion cuts to "waste, fraud, and abuse" across the federal government, resulting in mass layoffs and restructuring.
Steube said his bill "demands accountability by conditioning federal funding on reforms that signal a cultural shift away from bureaucratic stagnation toward public-facing excellence and patriotism."
He argued that the bill "represents more than a name change; it is a mandate for performance and transformation."
The Republican Trump ally pointed to the upcoming events the city will be hosting, including the 2027 NFL Draft and FIFA Club World Cup matches, as incentives for the capital transit system to "meet the highest standards."
The WMATA underwent significant changes under the leadership of Randy Clarke in 2022, who helped turn around declining ridership, improve safety practices, and address financial shortfalls.
Clarke has also prioritized modernization efforts, including the automation of train operations, as well as the "tap, ride, go" feature, which allows riders to use their credit card on the rail turnstile for entry.
What People Are Saying
Joey Politano, who authors the Apricitas Economics newsletter, on X, formerly Twitter: "You could not be more wrong. WMATA is the best run transit system in the US and has just been getting better & more efficient for years. Leave our beautiful metro out of your culture war bulls***."
Randy Clarke, general manager and CEO of WMATA, on X on May 28: "We said Tap Ride Go would be live on rail by end of May and before World Pride and proud to say Team Metro delivered. Today you can now use your credit or debit card to use @wmata. Incredible effort by team & partners to make America's Metro System even better! #wmata."
What Happens Next
The bill is unlikely to move forward in the chamber.
