FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM NOVEMBER 19, 2020 • THE QUEENS COURIER 23
oped letters & comments
REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
U.S. President-elect Joe Biden will support the MTA, writes Patrick J. Foye.
Biden’s election bodes well for MTA
BY PATRICK J. FOYE
It’s clear the COVID-19 pandemic is still
far from over. Cases are surging nationally,
and here in New York, the crisis continues
to batter the MTA and its fi nances.
But for the fi rst time in a while, we have
some hope about the future: a new president
who prioritizes transit will take offi ce
in January.
Th e election of “Amtrak Joe” Biden, the
country’s most dedicated and famous rail
commuter, bodes well for our agency. A
longtime champion of public transportation,
the president-elect has made sustainable
infrastructure and clean energy a pillar
of his “Build Back Better” transition
platform.
President-elect Biden knows the role
mass transit and its heroic workers played
in keeping essential personnel like doctors,
nurses, pharmacists, grocers and food
delivery workers moving during this oncein
hundred-year pandemic. He also knows
the resulting fi nancial crisis is not the fault
of transit agencies like the MTA and state
and local governments.
But while this has injected a degree of
much-needed optimism into our eff orts to
secure the $12 billion in emergency federal
funding that we so desperately need, we
are not so naive as to believe Biden’s victory
will solve our problems overnight.
We’re still facing the prospect of divided
government, and Senate Republicans have
made clear that unlike the incoming president,
they don’t understand the critical role
mass transit plays in not only powering the
economy, but in promoting clean energy
and addressing racial equity. If they maintain
control of the chamber, their indiff erence
will continue to be an obstacle. We
must plan for the worst and hope for the
best, as we put together a budget in the
wake of a crisis that has done more damage
to our fi nances than even the Great
Depression.
Th at mindset guided the development of
our November Financial Plan, which MTA
Chief Financial Offi cer Bob Foran will
present this week at our monthly board
meeting. Without question, it is one of the
most diffi cult budgets we have ever had
to craft , in one of the most uncertain and
challenging times ever for the agency and
for the country. It includes the potential
for massive service cuts of up to 50 percent
on the subway and 40 percent on the commuter
railroads, thousands of layoff s, and
other actions we desperately want to avoid.
We know these cuts will hit hard the people
who rely on us most, hurt employees
and further depress the economy. A report
by the consulting fi rm Appleseed and the
NYU Rudin Center for Transportation
estimates these draconian measures could
lead to a reduction of approximately $65
billion dollars in the regional GDP in 2021
alone. But without the certainty of federal
dollars, there is no recourse. Th e MTA
is required by statute to deliver a balanced
budget every year, and we have a fi duciary
duty to do so regardless of the unprecedented
public health emergency.
Hopefully, under the president-elect’s
infl uence, Washington will come through
for us and we can amend our doomsday
plan and get back to our core business of
moving New York so that the region can
begin its recovery. Th ere’s so much we want
to accomplish in the next few years: implementation
of the long-awaited Central
Business District Tolling Program, Second
Avenue Subway Phase 2, and improving
accessibility, just to name a few.
President-elect Biden can also singlehandedly
on day one reverse a devastating
order from the current administration
that prohibits the Federal Emergency
Management Agency from funding important
cleaning and disinfecting eff orts being
undertaken by mass transit systems and
school districts in the midst of this global
health crisis.
We look forward to working with the
Biden-Harris administration and everyone
who wants to advance a pro-transit agenda
that will help not just New York rebound
economically, but the country as well. As
I’ve said repeatedly, transportation is not a
red or blue issue. We all need to get from
point A to point B safely and eff ectively,
now more than ever.
Patrick J. Foye is the chairman and CEO
of the MTA.
PROVISIONS FOR AMERICANS
WITH ALZHEIMER’S AND
DEMENTIA SHOULD BE
INCLUDED IN A MEDICARE
FOR ALL PLAN
As Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
and other legislators consider a
Medicare for All plan, they must not
ignore the 5 million Americans with
Alzheimer’s and dementia.
Th is is a serious and present issue,
with Alzheimer’s deaths doubling in the
last 10 years. In 2020 alone, Medicaid
will spend an estimated $51 billion caring
for people with Alzheimer’s and
other dementias.
Due to the higher level of care
required, the average annual per person
Medicare spending for an individual
with Alzheimer’s is more than
three times higher than average. If
trends continue, by 2050, the number
of Americans with Alzheimer’s could
skyrocket to 13.8 million and combined
Medicare/Medicaid spending on
Alzheimer’s will rise to $777 billion, a
278 percent increase.
My grandmother died with
Alzheimer’s and I saw the devastating
eff ects of the disease on her and on my
family as they dealt with the physical,
emotional and fi nancial toll of caring for
her. Research toward a cure continues,
but while we wait for one, we cannot forget
those who struggle with Alzheimer’s
and dementia on a daily basis.
Please join me in encouraging AOC
to include provisions for Americans
with Alzheimer’s and dementia in a
Medicare for All plan.
Lamia Hauter, Corona
A TROUBLING THANKSGIVING
Th is year’s Th anksgiving will be most
troubling in America.
First off , our nation has been battling
the COVID-19 pandemic, during which
more than 244,000 people have died,
with more deaths being reported every
day. Th ere have been many shutdowns,
including schools, businesses and sports
throughout the pandemic. Added to all
of that are the millions of hard-working
Americans who have lost their jobs.
Th e question is: What do the
American people have to be thankful
for the year that has seen so much suffering
and pain?
Th ere will not be a Th anksgiving
parade because of the pandemic.
But there is hope on the horizon, with
a vaccine that will save many lives seemingly
on its way. I believe that hope and
prayers can help us survive.
Th anksgiving is not about what we
don’t have, but rather what we do have
and that is family and the need to help
others in need. Th erefore, I ask all those
who can to give to local churches, community
organizations that help those in
need and food pantries, please do so.
Let me also point out the last part of
the word Th anksgiving is “giving.” So,
please help our neighbors in need and
remember this: When things seem to be
at their worst, Americans have found a
way to rise up and be at their best.
Frederick R. Bedell Jr., Bellerose
AN AUTUMN DAY // PHOTO SUBMITTED BY JAVIER FOJO
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