Maryland congressmen Anthony G. Brown and Jamie B. Raskin, both democrats, proposed a bill on Tuesday that urges federal transit funds be redirected to save Metro from having to cut service or raise fares. The congressmen coordinated with the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 689 to draft the bill, which calls on Metro to adopt a set of labor-backed initiatives including a flat-fare pilot program. The bill proposes creating two task forces named in honor of a train operator and bus driver who were both killed on the job in separate accidents. However, in an interview Brown admitted that it will be “quite a challenge” getting the bill passed, given the republican control of Congress.
See "Maryland congressmen Brown and Raskin propose union-backed plan for Metro", Robert McCartney and Faiz Siddiqui, The Washington Post, November 28, 2017