“All Aboard the TRUMP TRAIN!” declared Representative Greg Steube, a Republican from Florida, in a social media post on Thursday as he introduced his new bill, the Make Autorail Great Again Act. The legislation seeks to block all federal funding to the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) unless the agency agrees to formally change its name to the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA) and rename the Metrorail system the “Trump Train.”
Steube’s proposal targets one of the busiest transit systems in the country. WMATA, which operates Washington, D.C.’s metro and bus network, carried nearly 200 million riders during the 2023 fiscal year. Of those, 51 percent were Metrobus passengers, edging out the 95.8 million who used the Metrorail by over 6 million riders. The agency currently receives $150 million in annual federal funding, which is part of a long-standing federal-state partnership established through the 2008 Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act.
While the bill has little chance of becoming law, it’s part of a growing trend among some Republicans to push for naming public infrastructure after former President Donald Trump. Similar proposals have included efforts to rename Dulles International Airport in his honor.
The bill’s text is brief and does not offer detailed justification for the renaming requirement. However, Steube’s press release claims the initiative was inspired by the now-defunct Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which was formerly led by Elon Musk. Under Musk, DOGE pushed aggressively for reductions in government spending, targeting what it labeled as bureaucratic waste and inefficiency, leading to widespread federal layoffs and reorganization.
In his statement, Steube argued the bill is about more than branding. He said it “demands accountability by conditioning federal funding on reforms that signal a cultural shift away from bureaucratic stagnation toward public-facing excellence and patriotism.” He added that the measure “represents more than a name change; it is a mandate for performance and transformation.”
Steube also cited Washington’s upcoming role in hosting major events—including the 2027 NFL Draft and FIFA Club World Cup matches—as a reason for WMATA to elevate its operations and image. He framed the bill as an opportunity for the capital’s transit system to meet what he called “the highest standards.”
WMATA has undergone a number of reforms since 2022 under the leadership of Randy Clarke, who focused on reversing ridership declines, boosting safety standards, and managing the agency’s persistent budget issues. Clarke also spearheaded modernization initiatives, such as automating train operations and launching the “tap, ride, go” feature, which allows riders to use credit cards directly at rail turnstiles.
Requests for comment from WMATA regarding the proposed legislation were not immediately returned.
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