Metro is set to receive a much-needed tranche of federal funding and the Smithsonian will get two new museums thanks to the massive spending and Covid relief bill Congress passed late Monday night.

Details of just how much funding the Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority will receive isn’t clear, but Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., tweeted Monday that the deal will bring more than $800 million in relief for public transit operations in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. The bill sets aside $14 billion for public transit across the country.

WMATA said in a tweet the funding its “a strong down payment on transit’s recovery” from the pandemic.

Metro in recent weeks moved closer to a series of drastic cuts as it faces a nearly $500 million deficit created by slumping ridership and fare revenue during the Covid crisis. Those proposed cuts included scrapping weekend rail service and the closure of 19 Metro stations, as well as staff layoffs and a hiring freeze. Metro recently filed layoff…