Harrisburg, PA (Wednesday, August 12, 2025)—Today, with Pennsylvania’s state budget six weeks late and transit agencies across the Commonwealth racing toward imminent financial cliffs, the Republican-led Senate advanced House Bill 257, a bill that would rob transit agencies of funding for crucial repairs, maintenance, and safety measures. State Senator Nikil Saval (D–Philadelphia) voted NO on the bill and issued the following statement:
“Public transit is an essential, life-sustaining service, utilized by a million Pennsylvanians every day, supporting tens of thousands of jobs, and driving more than $5 billion dollars in economic activity every year.
Nearly a third of Pennsylvania residents live in counties served by SEPTA, including my constituents, and the transit agency is mere days away from being forced to implement service cuts that will debilitate our region and harm our entire Commonwealth.
Rather than seek a solution to the coming crisis, my colleagues in the majority party brought to a vote a proposal that robs transit agencies of more than $838 million of dedicated funds—and devotes half of that money to projects that have nothing to do with transit. This is, quite simply, service cuts by another name. HB257 robs from the elderly and disabled. It robs from children and students. It robs from teachers. It robs from workers. And it robs from our Commonwealth’s future. Taking money from the capital fund will make SEPTA and other transit agencies less safe, less secure, and much more difficult to run. It will make it impossible for agencies like SEPTA to maintain their aging fleets, let alone implement the necessary changes to make our transit system faster, more reliable, and more accessible to those it serves.
Today, many of my colleagues who have previously proclaimed themselves transit advocates voted to reject an amendment that would have funded SEPTA. Instead, they brought forward and passed an amendment that would contribute to its collapse—with mandated fare increases to further punish those who rely on it along the way.
This is not just an unserious proposal but a dangerous one. To run this bill weeks after our state budget was due demonstrates a callous disregard for the lives and livelihoods of all Pennsylvanians who use public transit.
What our Commonwealth needs and deserves from its legislators is leadership, for those of us who have the honor of sitting on the Senate Floor to do our jobs and serve the people of Pennsylvania.
The Senate Republicans have held our state hostage for weeks, refusing to come to the table with a deal that offers any real chance of a future for Pennsylvanians who rely on its government to invest not just in public transit but in safe bridges and roads, resourced public schools, health care, and food benefits.
Pennsylvania can’t wait any longer. No more delays. We need a budget that invests in communities across the Commonwealth, including full funding for the transit infrastructure that supports our lives. And we need it now.”