United States Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is threatening to cut federal funds from New York City’s MTA if the agency doesn’t address crime in the subway system.
In a letter written to the MTA on Tuesday, Duffy demanded the agency provide information on plans to reduce crime, stop assaults on transit workers, address subway surfing, reduce injuries and fatalities on the tracks, and deter fare evasion.
“The trend of violent crime, homelessness, and other threats to public safety on one of our nation’s most prominent metro systems is unacceptable. After years of soft-on-crime policies, our Department is stepping in to restore order,” Duffy wrote. “Commuters are sick and tired of feeling like they have to jeopardize their safety to get to work, go to school, or to travel around the city. We will continue to fight to ensure their federal tax dollars are going towards a crime-free commute.”
The letter threatens to withhold federal funding, which runs in the billions.
MTA Chief of Policy and External Relations John J. McCarthy released the following statement in response to the letter:
“We are happy to discuss with Secretary Duffy our efforts, alongside the NYPD, to reduce crime and fare evasion. 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. Moreover, in the second half of last year subway fare evasion was down 25% after increasing dramatically during Covid.”
Trump administration, New York continue congestion pricing battle
While the letter says nothing about congestion pricing, it comes just days before the Trump administration’s Friday deadline to end the tolling program.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and the MTA have filed suit to keep congestion pricing and say it will continue to collect tolls.
“It’s the right thing to do for New York to continue it, but it’s also very basic litigation reality, which is that when you have a dispute, the status quo stays unless one party gets an injunction to change it while you’re resolving the dispute,” MTA CEO Janno Lieber said.
The MTA is expected to get $15 billion from congestion pricing for subway modernization and accessibility upgrades.
Read Transportation Secretary Duffy’s letter to the MTA
