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Interview with FTA Administrator Rogoff on Possibility of Shutdown

Sept. 30, 2013

With the federal government shutdown looming at midnight Oct. 1, FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff told Mass Transit in an exclusive interview that the shutdown is "... just a massive, unnecessary distraction from us executing our mission and it’s very, very maddening in that regard."

Joe Petrie

Federal Transit Administration Administrator Peter Rogoff.

With the federal government shutdown looming at midnight Oct. 1, FTA Administrator Peter Rogoff told Mass Transit in an exclusive interview during the American Public Transportation Association conference that the shutdown is causing a “hugely lost opportunity,” for agency employees to meet with stakeholders at the conference. The sequester caused a massive cut in the agency’s travel budget in order to avoid furloughs, so they came to this meeting in order to meet with as many transit leaders as possible.

“Instead they will be going to O’Hare tonight in order to get home for the shutdown as required,” Rogoff said.

Very few FTA employees will be on staff when the shutdown takes place, but in the wake of Monday’s Chicago Transit Authority Blue Line crash, Rogoff said he’s in the process of trying to call back more safety investigators to help in the investigation of the incident. When asked what projects may be delayed or grant monies not awarded due to the shutdown, Rogoff said he couldn’t specifically speak to which ones, but stressed there will be delays given how much time is put into preparing to shut down, shutting down, then reopening.

"It’s just a massive, unnecessary distraction from us executing our mission and it’s very, very maddening in that regard,” he said.

Rogoff stressed FTA has done a lot to improve processes and help agencies in recent years, but employees will be shown gratitude for their work by being sent home without pay.

“It’s demoralizing and I think it’s insulting to their efforts,” he said. “And it’s very saddening from where I sit to be one of just a couple of people in the building tomorrow.”

Rogoff said he wasn’t sure how long to expect it will last, but said the “fringe” republicans setting the agenda in the U.S. House of Representatives are endangering the credit worthiness of the nation and effecting much more than just public transportation.

“It is not good for the nation when the fringe of any political party is running the agenda and leading everyone else around by the nose,” Rogoff said. “I don’t care if it’s democrats, republicans or anyone else.”

For more on the opening of the American Public Transportation Association's Annual Meeting, visit http://www.masstransitmag.com/11182025

About the Author

Joe Petrie | Associate Editor

I came to Mass Transit in 2013 after spending seven years on the daily newsbeat in southeastern Wisconsin.

Based in Milwaukee, I worked as a daily newspaper reporter with the Waukesha Freeman from 2006-2011, where I covered education, county and state government. I went on to cover courts for Patch.com, where I was the main courts reporter in the Metro Milwaukee cluster of websites.

I’ve won multiple awards during the course of my career and have covered some of the biggest political events in the past decade and have appeared on national programs.

Having covered local government and social issues, I discovered the importance of transit and the impact it can have on communities when implemented, supported and funded.