The hostage-taking here is in the form of the $647 million omnibus transit bill encompassing the Caltrain electrification portion.
It's like kidnapping a kitten and demanding a $100 ransom for "kitten food" or the kitten dies... then spending $1 on kitten food. And you'll likely have to pay more to get the kitten back later anyway.
The Democrats are free to introduce a clean bill with just the Caltrain electrification funds. A clean bill (funding ALL of it, even) would sail through Congress.
It's like kidnapping a kitten and demanding a $100 ransom for "kitten food" or the kitten dies... then spending $1 on kitten food. And you'll likely have to pay more to get the kitten back later anyway.
The Democrats are free to introduce a clean bill with just the Caltrain electrification funds. A clean bill (funding ALL of it, even) would sail through Congress.