SEPTA gets about $235 million a year in federal funding, most used for the agency's $300 million-a-year capital budget, which pays for new buses, rail cars, and construction such as station improvements and bridge replacements.
The House transportation funding bill, which would provide $260 billion over five years, has drawn fire from both ends of the political spectrum, and House GOP leaders delayed a vote on the measure this month because they were not certain it would be approved.
Floor votes are likely next week in the House.
A separate proposal in the Senate would provide $109 billion over two years for funding transportation projects and would not eliminate the gas-tax revenue for mass transit.
Congress has been struggling to come up with a transportation spending plan since the last six-year law expired in 2009. Congress has since passed a series of temporary funding bills, and the current one expires on March 31.
Federal Transit Administrator Peter Rogoff said Wednesday that "the House majority's approach eliminates a guaranteed funding source for mass transit that has been in place since the Reagan administration."
Wednesday, transit agency leaders, including SEPTA's Casey, joined in a nationwide conference call with reporters to decry the House bill. They said it would mean service cuts and fare hikes at many agencies.
Casey was joined by chief executives from transit agencies in New York City, Chicago and Washington, among others.
Major SEPTA projects, like the long-delayed $100 million City Hall subway station renovation, cannot be done if there is no dependable source of funding, Casey said.
