Trump administration threatens to pull New York transit funds as it questions anti-crime efforts

A subway approaches an above ground station in the Brooklyn borough of New York with the New York City skyline in the background, June 21, 2017. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

The Trump administration is threatening to pull federal funding from New York City’s transit system if it doesn’t provide a plan to address crime.

While New York transit officials point to publicly available statistics showing major crime on the subway system is trending down this year, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy noted “a number of high-profile safety related incidents” in a letter sent Tuesday to the head of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

“If you can’t keep your subway safe, if people can’t go to the subway and not be afraid of being stabbed or thrown in front of tracks or burnt ... we’re going to pull your money,” Duffy said in a “Fox & Friends” interview on Wednesday.

Transit systems in Chicago and Washington, D.C., also could lose critical federal dollars if they don’t clean up, Duffy said.

New York officials said they’d be happy to discuss how the MTA and NYPD are working 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,” John McCarthy, the MTA’s chief of policy and external relations, said in a statement.

Violent crime is rare overall in New York’s subway system, which carries millions of riders every day. Train cars and stations are generally as safe as any other public place. However, recent high-profile attacks, such as a woman being set on fire and people being shoved onto the tracks, have left some riders on edge.

Major felonies in the system have ticked down overall the past few years, although the number of assaults have risen, from 373 in 2019 to 579 in 2024, according to NYPD data.

Officials have also moved to publicize existing efforts to crack down on fare evasion and other offenses by deploying more police officers in the transit system. Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, sent state National Guard members to the entrances of some of the city’s busier stations last year in what she described as a visible deterrent against crime.

Duffy’s letter seeks a list of the actions and plans New York officials have taken to address transit worker assaults, fare evasion and other criminal activity, including customer assaults and injuries. The letter specifically mentions “passengers being pushed in front of trains,” “subway surfing” and suicides.

The letter threatened to redirect or withhold funds if the agency doesn’t comply with its request for information and gave a deadline of March 31. The MTA, which also runs New York City’s buses and regional rail networks, relies on a mix of local, state and federal funding. Its US$68 billion, five-year capital plan through 2029 anticipates $14 billion in federal grants and funds.

New York also faces a Friday deadline to comply with a Trump administration order to halt Manhattan’s new congestion pricing system. State officials have vowed to continue the tolling program, which is meant to thin traffic and pump new revenue into the nation’s busiest transit system.

Duffy’s letter does not mention the congestion pricing issue.

Susan Haigh, The Associated Press