RELEASE: Representatives Friedman, Larsen Celebrate New Metro Stop, Vow to Protect Federal Investments that Make Life More Affordable

Above: Friedman and Larsen before touring a new Metro station built with investments from the federal government.  

LOS ANGELES, CA — Today, February 20, 2025, U.S. Representatives Laura Friedman (CA-30) and Rick Larsen (WA-02), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, toured the nearly completed Wilshire/La Brea Metro D-Line station and reaffirmed their commitment to protecting federal investments in public transit.  

“Trump’s latest executive actions threaten to reverse bipartisan investments we’ve made in expanding transit access. The LA Metro project is well underway and nearly completed, yet hundreds of millions of dollars that the federal government promised towards the expansion still have yet to be delivered,” said Representative Laura Friedman (CA-30). “These new stations represent affordability, mobility, and opportunity for countless families. We won’t let Trump’s political games derail investments that are moving LA forward. And we won’t stop fighting to ensure LA gets the world-class transit system it deserves.”  

The visit comes after the Trump administration attempts to block commonsense, bipartisan investments across the nation from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. These investments help make life more affordable across California. 

WHY METRO EXPANSION MATTERS: 

• The Metro Purple Line extension provides affordable, reliable transportation for thousands of Angelenos. 
• By 2028, this subway line will connect Downtown LA to UCLA and the VA Medical Center, improving mobility. 
• $3.4 billion in federal funds have been pledged to this critical transit project. 
• Transit projects create thousands of jobs. 
• Public transit reduces greenhouse gas emissions by 45% compared to private cars. 
• Metro ridership has seen two straight years of month-over-month growth, proving demand for reliable transit. 

HOW TRUMP’S ACTIONS HURT COMMUNITIES:

• Trump wants to cut bipartisan federal investments in infrastructure that make life more affordable. 
• Trump tried to cut Inflation Reduction Act investments, which has disrupted clean energy projects, including solar panel installations in low-income neighborhoods, hindering efforts to reduce energy costs and promote sustainability.    
• Trump’s cuts to medical research have led to halted life-saving cancer research projects and job losses in medical centers across the country. 
• Now Republicans are proposing a nearly $900 billion cut to Medicaid which threatens healthcare access for low-income families, potentially leaving millions without essential medical services. 

Friedman was joined by Representative Rick Larsen (WA-02), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, Los Angeles Councilwoman and LA Metro Board Director Katy Yaroslavsky, and Labor Union representatives and workers.