Continuing Fiscal Cliff Theatrics

This guest blog article is by Brother Christopher Campisi, Local 308 Union Steward and Rail Car Repairer. He running for Local 308 Vehicle Maintenance Executive Board Member.  

On Friday October 3rd two very different announcements were released confusing the “hell” out of everyone. 

The first was a written “SCARE THE RIDERS AND WORKERS OF CTA” articles that were taken from that morning's AD HOC COMMITTEE ON TRANSIT FUNDING meeting at the RTA. 

The second was the one we all expected—something the Trump Administration has been threatening to do it for over ten months: Pull federal funding from Chicago. 

These are two extremely unique announcements and the only thing in common is that they are happening at the CTA. 

On Friday, the RTA held a meeting where the CTA, Metra, and Pace presented the 2026 and 2027 budgets. Two scenarios were presented for each agency. 

The first scenario was a budget with no new state funding (for some reason if the Illinois House is unable to pass the funding bill HB 3438 in October’s veto session in Springfield). 

The second scenario is that HB 3438 passes (averting the “fiscal cliff” for 2026). 

As I’ve looked thru statements from the Illinois state congress officials, I am reassured that we have the support to pass this commonsense bill. 

Nothing has really changed since last Spring. Acting CTA President Nora Learson touched on the topic of return on investment (ROI) for the CTA. 

Many figures get thrown around such as “for every dollar spent at the CTA $13 dollars are generated in economic return.” Public Transportation funding is money invested in the working people in Illinois from creating an economic way for workers to get to work, students to school. It creates union factory jobs in Chicago to build trains, and union jobs to keep the CTA running.  

The second announcement on Friday was directly from the White House:

Budget director Russell Vought announced that he is withholding $2.1 billion dollars in federal funding from the CTA. 

Please understand why (and don’t get confused with Trump’s a#$ clownery). The Trump Administration stated Federal funding is "put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting." 

When Trump was campaigning, he tried to distance himself from Heritage Foundation's Project 2025. 

Yes, he has appointed those who wrote it to implement these racist policies, the anti-worker attacks, the attack on hardworking immigrants and families. 

This money was a federal grant approved by the Biden Administration for the RPM Red and Purple Modernization and Red Line Extension (RLE). 

This withholding of Federal funding and its racist motivations are unprecedented in recent times. This withholding will create a ripple effect that will cause a negative economic effect that will last years. Most important it that we must not let this divide us as they are prepared to conquer us. 

Read other articles about the CTA budget by Brother Chris: 

• Death Spiral, Soft Landing or Crash?
• Illinois Public Transit Funding Bills

  
The opinions expressed by guest bloggers here or in Shop Talk newsletter are not necessarily the opinion or sanctioned policies and actions by Brother Eric Curtis Muhammad Basir, ATU Local 308 members, elected leadership or stewards. In the spirit of the First Amendment and the ATU Obligation, all CTA workers and supporters are welcome to submit content of any point-of-view for this blog. Real identities will be hidden upon request.