Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has threatened to withhold federal funding from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority unless the Trump administration is provided plans to reduce crime in New York City's mass transit system.
In a letter to MTA Chair Janno Lieber, Duffy demanded a list of "actions and plans to reduce crime on its system," Gothamist reported. He asked for rates of assaults, fare evasion, and train surfing in the subway.
"People traveling on the [New York City Transit] system to reach their jobs, education, health care, and other critical services need to feel secure and travel in a safe environment free of crime; as well, workers who operate the system need to be sure of a safe operating environment to provide transportation service," Duffy wrote.
Last month, President Donald Trump praised his administration for pulling federal approval of a congestion pricing plan that began Jan. 5 in parts of Manhattan. "CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!" Trump wrote in a Feb. 19 Truth Social post.
That prompted New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul to take a swipe at the president.
"We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king," she said in a statement, Gothamist reported. "The MTA [Metropolitan Transportation Authority] has initiated legal proceedings in the Southern District of New York to preserve this critical program. We'll see you in court."
In his letter to Lieber, Duffy gave the MTA until March 31 to respond to the demands, or risk "enforcement actions up to and including redirecting or withholding funding."
Duffy cited the city's mental health challenges as contributing to safety issues on mass transit.
"[C]itizens of the city have openly expressed their support for expanded care for individuals struggling with mental illness to specifically address some of these safety concerns," the secretary wrote.
MTA Chief of Policy and External Relations John McCarthy said the transportation network was willing to discuss its and law enforcement efforts to improve safety on the subway and buses.
"The good news is numbers are moving in the right direction: crime is down 40% compared to the same period in 2020 right before the pandemic, and so far in 2025 there are fewer daily major crimes in transit than any non-pandemic year ever," he said in a statement. "Moreover, in the second half of last year subway fare evasion was down 25% after increasing dramatically during COVID."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.