Cedarhurst, NY – Assemblyman Ari Brown, (R,Cedarhurst) joined Assemblyman Ed Ra and other Minority colleagues today at the State Capitol for a press conference regarding A06088, a bill aimed at holding the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) accountable. The bill, sponsored by Assemblyman Ra, calls for a comprehensive forensic audit of the MTA, one of the most critical yet dysfunctional agencies in New York state.

A06088 would require the MTA to contract with a certified independent public accounting firm to conduct a thorough examination of the authority's operations, identifying inefficiencies, redundancies and governance issues that have plagued the agency for years.

 This bill aims to shed light on the wasteful spending and mismanagement that has led to repeated fare hikes and service cutbacks, despite the agency's growing budget and power.

“Every year, the MTA continues to lose money, and yet we see massive fare hikes and service cuts that negatively impact hard-working New Yorkers,” said Assemblyman Brown. “This bill is an essential step in bringing accountability to an agency that has consistently failed the people of New York. A forensic audit will provide the transparency needed to understand where the money is going and identify the inefficiencies that have allowed this agency to run unchecked for far too long."

The MTA, which oversees New York City's subways, buses and commuter railroads, has been under fire for years due to its mismanagement and ballooning budget. According to experts, the authority’s annual losses, combined with a lack of efficient operations, are contributing factors to the looming need for congestion pricing—an idea that Assemblyman Brown believes would be unnecessary if the MTA were run more efficiently.

“Instead of continuing to raise fares and impose congestion pricing, which hits everyday New Yorkers the hardest, we need to address the root of the problem: mismanagement at the MTA,” Brown added. “If the MTA were being run efficiently, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. The audit required by A06088 will shine a light on the waste, inefficiencies and, quite frankly, the corruption that has become all too common in this organization.”

In addition to fare hikes and inefficiency, one of the most pressing issues with the MTA is the failure to collect billions of dollars in revenue. A significant portion of this uncollected revenue comes from “invaders”—those who illegally travel through the MTA system without paying tolls or fares. The bill seeks to address this issue as well, calling for greater oversight and accountability in MTA revenue collection practices.

Assemblyman Brown commended Assemblyman Ed Ra for his leadership on this crucial issue, which he believes is a long-overdue step toward fixing the MTA.

“I applaud Assemblyman Ra for bringing this bill to the forefront and for his ongoing efforts to tackle this problem head-on,” said Brown. “We need to ensure that New Yorkers’ hard-earned tax dollars are spent efficiently and that the MTA operates with the utmost transparency and integrity.”

Assemblyman Brown stressed that A06088 is not about attacking the MTA workers or its dedicated employees but rather about ensuring that the organization is run more effectively and fairly for the benefit of all New Yorkers.

“Let’s be clear: this is about accountability at the top,” said Brown. “The hardworking people at the MTA deserve to have an efficient and well-run agency, just like the millions of commuters who depend on it every day.”

The bill has already gained significant support, and Assemblyman Brown pledged to continue working with his colleagues to ensure its passage in the coming legislative session.