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Transit advocates warn federal memo could cut Detroit’s transit funding
Summary
A transit justice organizer told the committee a U.S. Department of Transportation memo threatens to shift federal transit funds away from cities like Detroit, and urged local leaders to stress-test the city budget for potential federal funding losses.
A representative of Detroit People’s Platform’s transit justice team told the committee a recent U.S. Department of Transportation memorandum could reallocate federal transit dollars in ways that would harm Detroit.
“Unfortunately, Detroit does not fit that category of marriage rates,” said Renard Rashevsky, who identified himself as a resident and organizer with Detroit People’s Platform. Rashevsky said a DOT memo calls for redistributing federal tax dollars to communities with higher marriage and birth rates, and said the guidance could functionally cut federal transit funding to majority-Black cities.
Rashevsky asked council members to stress-test the city budget under scenarios where federal funding is reduced or delayed and to ensure the city remains “good stewards of the public money.” He also praised the council’s support for DDOT resolutions described during the public comment period and for supportive MDOT contracts that invest in the system.
The committee did not take formal action on federal funding policy during the meeting.
