MTA says subway crime is already down as feds threaten to cut funding over public safety concerns
The Trump administration is threatening to cut billions of dollars in federal funding to the MTA over subway crime, but MTA officials, the governor and the mayor say they're not worried because crime is already down.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a letter Tuesday he will withhold or redirect federal funding from the agency unless it can prove it's reducing violent crime and homelessness in the system.
If the feds make good on their threat, they could withhold all or part of the $2.1 billion the MTA got in federal funding last year. It includes $1.2 billion to keep the system in a state of good repair and $30 million for buses.
Officials tout "huge progress" addressing subway crime
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber seemed to adopt a "what, me worry?" attitude about the latest round of threats.
"I feel like the kid who gets called on [by] the teacher when you've actually done your homework. We have done so much to improve subway safety," he said.
In a letter to the MTA, 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."
"I'm not concerned," Lieber said. "We have actually the lowest number of daily crimes in the subway system than we have ever had in recorded history in the first part of this year."
A spokesman for Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement her first priority is public safety "which is why she's surged more than 1,000 uniformed public safety personnel into the subways and committed unprecedented state funding to ensure there are two NYPD officers on every single overnight train."
Data from the governor's office shows major transit crimes are down 29% year-to-date, arrests for major transit crimes are up 71% year-to-date, and major transit crimes are down 28% compared to the same period in 2019 before the pandemic.
Mayor Eric Adams and Lieber both say more can be done, however.
"The numbers have been extremely impressive," Adams said. "On what we have to do, we have to do more, but when you think about 4.6 million riders and only six felonies a day, that's really significant. We're looking forward to talking with, speaking with them, showing what we're doing and showing what more we need to do to make sure the system is safe."
"So there is huge progress. We obviously have to make people feel safer, but we have done so much," Lieber said.
MTA, Trump administration locked in congestion pricing battle
The threat comes as the MTA and the Trump administration are locked in a fierce battle over congestion pricing.
The feds want the cameras turned off by Friday.
The MTA And the governor say they won't do it.
The issue is in the courts.
The congestion pricing program is expected to bring in millions of dollars for the MTA.
