State Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno told reporters last week he would not vote for transportation-related tax increases while the state was running a revenue surplus.

Assembly Transportation Committee Chair David Gantt said Democrats would fight for funding for the Second Avenue subway project, which the bond funds could have helped to start. Gantt also referred to the state's surplus.

Neither Governor Pataki, the MTA nor the NY State DOT have offered any sense of how the administration may address the funding gap, though the Governor's proposal for next year's budget is generally being crafted at this time. Responding to TV news questions about the Port Authority's proposed PATH fare hike and possible $2 NYC bus and subway fares, Governor Pataki said "you will certainly not see that in the subways as long as I'm around."