Rally Transcript: Patrick J. Foye, Chairman and CEO, MTA: My colleagues and I have come together again today to discuss an issue critical to our survival—federal relief for mass transit. I repeat, there will be no economic recovery regionally or nationally without significant investment in mass transit. This is not a red or blue issue. It’s a jobs issue. Mass transit systems across the country carried the United States throughout the pandemic, and we will carry it out of this crisis. The immediate need is this—in order to ensure the health care workers, grocery workers, first responders and other essential personnel can continue to get to work and beat this pandemic, we need substantial federal funding now. If relief doesn’t come soon, these deep cuts at the MTA and other agencies will take effect and they will fall disproportionately on the backs of working people, low-income customers, people of color and low-income communities. We’re all following with intense interest ongoing negotiations in Washington with respect to a COVID relief bill, perhaps this month. While there is no certainty of passage, we’re encouraged by the negotiations. The bipartisan bill before Congress is a good start, but even were a lame duck session relief bill to pass, the MTA and the other agencies on this Zoom today, as well as agencies across the country, will continue to have substantial funding needs, including a total of $12 billion in aggregate to ensure the MTA’s survival, and at least $32 billion for transit nationwide.