White House demands NYC hand over subway crime data or kiss federal funding goodbye

Federal funds were on the line as the White House called out Gotham’s dangerous subways while demanding an accounting of plans for safety.

“After years of soft-on-crime policies, our Department is stepping in to restore order.”

Even before the added danger of illegal alien gangs wreaking havoc on the Big Apple, New York City’s subways were rife with violent crime. In seeking to see to the safety of passengers and employees, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy gave the Metropolitan Transportation Authority until the end of the month to turn over crime data and steps taken to address illegal behavior or lose out on federal grants.

“The trend of violent crime, homelessness, and other threats to public safety on one of our nation’s most prominent metro systems is unacceptable,” the secretary said in a statement. “After years of soft-on-crime policies, our Department is stepping in to restore order.”

Duffy’s remarks came as he transmitted a letter to MTA CEO Janno Lieber Tuesday laying down the law with a response deadline of March 31, “To protect the safety of passengers and workers and, in turn, promote travel by public transit, the New York City Transit Authority (NYCT) of the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NYMTA) must ensure a safe and clean environment, reduce crime and fare evasion, and maintain a safe operating system.”

“The expectation is that [New York City Transit Authority] will address this matter promptly to ensure compliance and avoid further [Federal Transit Authority] enforcement actions up to and including redirecting or withholding funding,” asserted the secretary.

Trump admin. threatens to pull federal funding to MTA over subway safety by AW

“Of key importance will be documentation of actions and funding that ensure effective security for passengers and workers on the NYCT system,” he wrote.

“People traveling on the NYCT 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,” asserted Duffy. “The transit riders and workers of New York City deserve nothing less.”

In a statement provided to the New York Post, a spokesperson for New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) contended, “Governor Hochul’s top 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. We’re always open to partnering with the federal government on ways to fund New York’s priorities.”

Of course, the governor also touted subway safety in December, the same day that a woman was burned to death aboard the Coney Island F train in Brooklyn.

NYPD arrest illegal alien suspected off burning woman to death on subway as Hochul touts its safety https://t.co/BAbvA7jWGN via @BIZPACReview

— BPR based (@DumpstrFireNews) December 23, 2024

Likewise, MTA chief of policy and external relations John J. McCarthy continued to maintain the position that crime was decreasing as he said in a statement, “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,” added McCarthy.

The administration’s latest crackdown on New York comes as a March 21 deadline neared for the MTA to halt congestion pricing after rescinding federal approval that was granted under the Biden administration.

Staff Writer

Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn’t researching current events and their impacts, you’ll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.

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