Metro Stands To Lose $22M In Budget Battle

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Washington's Metro transit system stands to lose $22 million over the next six months because of looming federal budget cuts.

Metro General Manager Richard Sarles says about $12 million in federal grants are in jeopardy. And another $10 million could be lost by September because of decreasing ridership by federal employees. Sarles says federal employees represent about 40 percent of users during rush hours and thousands could be furloughed because of the cuts.

Metro, meanwhile, receives about $150 million from federal rail grants annually. Sarles says Metro has received about half of the money for the current fiscal year, but the cuts could affect the second half.

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