Duffy threatens to withhold funds over NYC subway crime

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy threatened to withhold federal transit funds from the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) in a Tuesday letter urging city leaders to reassess their approach to crime prevention efforts on public travel.

“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 said in a statement.

“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.”

His comments come months after a woman was burned alive on the subway and another person was pushed in front of an oncoming train.

In response to the crimes, Duffy has directed Janno Lieber, MTA chair and chief executive officer, to provide a detailed plan on how the city will reduce violence involving transit workers and customers, prevent injuries from suicide events or “subway surfing” in addition to deterring fare evasion.

“If you want me to take a train, make the train safe, make it clean. But if you won't do that, we're going to pull money and give you the incentive to make that happen,” Duffy said during a Wednesday appearance on Fox News’s “Fox & Friends.”

In March 2024, New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) said the city would reintroduce bag checks in the fight against crime on the subway.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) also implemented a five-point subway safety plan, which included deploying 1,000 law enforcement officers to conduct bag checks while proposing those who have been convicted of violent crime on public transit be banned from riding the subway or the bus.

In January, Hochul highlighted mental illness as a reason for the uptick in assault on passengers.

“The recent surge in violent crimes in our public transit system cannot continue — and we need to tackle this crisis head-on,” Hochul wrote in the statement.

“Many of these horrific incidents have involved people with serious untreated mental illness, the result of a failure to get treatment to people who are living on the streets and are disconnected from our mental health care system,” she said.

Duffy’s push for harsher subway laws comes as Hochul remains entangled in a battle with the Trump administration over congestion pricing.

The Trump administration rescinded the approval of the city’s $9 toll for drivers to enter part of Manhattan. Hochul’s team has filed a lawsuit seeking to overturn the federal order, and the toll remains in place.

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