Photo by Paul Cortez.

As warned, WMATA is firing employees today. Metro General Manager Paul Wiedefeld is eliminating 100 positions to help balance the agency’s budget shortfall, according to a WMATA spokeswoman.

Wiedefeld has made no secret of his intention to hand out pink slips for various reasons. At a contentious April hearing on Capitol Hill, the need for Metro to clean house was one of the only things everyone seemed to agree upon. “You need to get that deadwood out,” said Congresswoman Barbara Comstock (R-VA), about making labor changes that will eliminate staffing redundancies and create accountability.

“I’m moving in that direction right now,” Wiedefeld responded. The following month, he released 20 managers, including seven senior managers, as part of a “management restructuring” plan.

And in June, Wiedefeld sent a letter to WMATA’s senior staff addressing plans for to cut about 500 positions in the coming months. These include staff positions that are redundant or “no longer deemed critical to Metro’s business interests,” as well as non-essential vacant positions.

At the time, Wiedefeld said Metro needed to “operate in a businesslike manner and achieve cost savings” for the new beginning. NBC Washington first reported the firings.

With persistently declining ridership and no dedicated funding source, WMATA is expecting a $275 million budget shortfall next fiscal year. Metro is considering a fare hike and service cuts to help close the gap.

This post will be updated with comments from Metro.