Sarasota Republican Congressman Greg Steube filed a bill that would cut $150 million in annual funding from the Washington, D.C. Metro system unless it renames itself to honor President Donald Trump.
Washington’s Metro is the county’s most frequented public transportation system outside of New York City, according to the American Public Transportation Association. Steube’s “Make Autorail Great Again Act” would cut its federal funding until it changes its name from the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) to the “Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access” (WMAGA) and rename their rail system the “Trump Train.”
“In the spirit of DOGE, this bill demands accountability by conditioning federal funding on reforms that signal a cultural shift away from bureaucratic stagnation toward public-facing excellence and patriotism,” Steube said in a press release, referring to the Department of Government Efficiency Trump launched initially under the leadership of Elon Musk.
The congressman said he filed the bill to fix the “struggling institution” before major events such as the 2027 NFL Draft and FIFA World Cup. However, the two-page bill, which has fewer words than the press release announcing it, does not specify any regulatory or infrastructure reforms. It only demands a name change.
In a statement to the Herald-Tribune on Thursday afternoon, Steube called the capital “Exhibit A when it comes to mismanaged liberal cities,” and indicated his unlikely-to-pass bill is more about ongoing budget talks between Washington, D.C., officials and Congress.
“Mayor (Muriel) Bowser and the DC Council continue greenlighting left-wing vanity projects while demanding Congress write them another $1 billion check,” the congressman said in an email. “It is time for Congress to exercise its constitutional authority of the purse and withhold funding for Washington, D.C.’s transit until its leadership finally gets serious about governing. That is what my bill will do.”
Daniel Gleick, press secretary for the D.C. mayor, said the office had no comment. A spokesperson for the WMATA was not immediately available for comment.
The WMATA has an annual budget of nearly $5 billion. Steube’s bill would make it ineligible for annual federal funding unless it runs “The Trump Train” through the nation’s capital. The D.C. transit authority receives the lion’s share of its funding from fares and from local states and municipalities.
Steube has proven a high-profile Trump supporter, both through his proposed legislation and commentary on Fox News. While Musk’s DOGE gutted the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Steube filed a bill to abolish the agency.
That bill was introduced in February and, like Steube’s most recent legislation, included only two pages. It has seen no action in the U.S. House of Representatives since, but it did land Steube some television appearances and headlines.
Steube also made numerous appearances on Fox as an advocate for Trump during the impeachment proceedings during Trump’s first term.
Christian Casale covers local government for the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Email him at ccasale@gannett.com or christiancasale@protonmail.com
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Sarasota congressman wants to rename Washington D.C. Metro system after President Trump
Reporting by Christian Casale, Sarasota Herald-Tribune / Sarasota Herald-Tribune
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