The $1.1 trillion spending bill Congress will take up this week fully covers peak-hour Metro fares for federal workers in the D.C. area, doubling their current tax-paid transportation benefits.
The catch-all spending bill increases federal employee Metro benefits from up to $130 a month to as much as $255 a month. The hike more than covers maximum fares of $5.90 from any point on the system to any other point on the system during rush hour, both ways, over a 21-workday month.
Some argue the federal transit subsidy only perpetuates Metro's history of poor service and safety, because many riders don't have to sacrifice their own budgets to pay for the service. More than one in three Metro riders works for the federal government, according to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA).