May 7, 2020
The president announced the Phoenix area would get funding for additional public transportation infrastructure Thursday.
President Donald Trump's account sent a tweet saying, "Very exciting news for the Phoenix area—@USDOT is committing $100M to @valleymetro for a 5.5-mile light rail system with 9 new stations connecting underserved areas to churches, emergency services, and more!"
The president, referring to the South Central Extension/Downtown Hub light rail project.
Construction on that extension project began in October.
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey was asked during a COVID-19 press conference Thursday about the tweet from President Trump, which he had not seen yet.
"If we've got federal dollars coming to help grow the state and transportation infrastructure, I can't say anything except that's a good thing," Ducey said.
"We appreciate the President’s recognition of the importance of the regional transit system being built in metro Phoenix," Valley Metro said in a statement. "His announcement signifies that Valley Metro is receiving its second $100-million dollar allocation from the FTA's Capital Investment Grant program. Valley Metro and the City of Phoenix have requested over $500 million in potential federal funding for the project, subject to the completion of a full funding grant agreement between FTA, Valley Metro and the City in late 2020/early 2021."