Original sentence: The MTA said that its reluctance to give in to the TWU on this point stems from fear of future deficits (projected to be 1 billion USD by 2009), although critics contend that its assertion of deficits in early 2005 was fabricated to justify fare hikes
Edited sentence: The MTA claimed that its reluctance to give in to the TWU on this point stems from fear of future deficits (projected to be 1 billion USD by 2009), even though its claims of deficits in early 2005 were exposed as fabrications to justify fare hikes