(Bloomberg) — US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy intensified the Trump administration’s criticism of New York City’s subway system on Saturday, accusing Governor Kathy Hochul of neglecting safety and homelessness issues in the transit system.
“If you want people to take the train, make it safe, make it clean, make it beautiful, make it wonderful,” Duffy said during a press conference in Morris County, New Jersey. “She could fix it in hours — not days, not weeks, not months — hours. And she chooses not to,” Duffy added.
The remarks came days after Duffy sent a letter to Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO & Chairman Janno Lieber requesting detailed information on crime, fare evasion, and how the agency plans to improve safety. The MTA has until March 31 to respond, with Duffy warning that a failure to do so could lead to a withdrawal of federal funding.
The MTA relies heavily on federal support — as much as $2.5 billion a year — to fund projects including subway and rail car upgrades and system accessibility. Roughly $14 billion, or 20% of its upcoming multi-year capital plan, is expected to come from Washington.
An MTA spokesperson said the agency welcomes the opportunity to discuss its safety and fare enforcement efforts. The agency has reported a significant drop in transit crime since 2020 and says fare evasion has declined since last summer.
Hochul has increased the number of National Guard troops patrolling the subway and directed the NYPD to place two officers on every overnight train. Her office has framed the deployments as part of an aggressive response to high-profile incidents that have shaken public confidence in the system.
Duffy’s comments also come amid a separate dispute between the Trump administration and New York officials over congestion pricing, a plan designed to raise $15 billion for infrastructure improvements by charging drivers entering Manhattan’s central business district. The White House has tried to block the initiative, and the MTA is suing to allow it to continue.
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by PostX News and is published from a syndicated feed.)
