Feds to MTA: Prove Subway Safety Reforms or Risk Losing Billions in Funding

Edited by: Fern Sidman

The Biden-era soft-on-crime approach is being met with a hard-line federal response — and the stakes now involve billions of dollars in taxpayer funding. In a bold move that puts New York’s troubled transit system on notice, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has formally demanded that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) account for how it is tackling crime, safety, and fare evasion — or risk losing access to vital federal support, as was reported on Tuesday in The New York Post.

That’s the message from Duffy, who made clear in his Tuesday letter to MTA Chairman Janno Lieber that the nation’s largest public transit agency is under scrutiny. At the heart of the matter: how the MTA is allocating federal funds — and whether those funds are translating into tangible improvements for rider and worker safety.

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

The letter sets a firm deadline: the MTA must respond by March 31, providing a comprehensive set of data that includes statistics on subway crimes, fare evasion, subway surfing incidents, and other public safety threats. The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) is also seeking detailed information on funding sources earmarked for straphanger and MTA employee safety.

“Of key importance will be documentation of actions and funding that ensure effective security for passengers and workers on the NYCT system,” Duffy wrote in the letter, as reported by The New York Post. He warned that failure to comply could result in Federal Transit Administration (FTA) enforcement measures — including the redirection or outright withholding of funding.

Although the exact figure at stake remains unclear, the potential impact is massive. The MTA is currently relying on up to $14 billion in federal aid over the next five years to execute its ambitious capital improvement plan. But that assistance is contingent upon Congress, which is next set to reauthorize transit funding in 2026. The oversight pressure now being applied could reverberate through the agency’s long-term financial planning.

As The New York Post has reported, transit crime has remained a top concern for city residents since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. A string of violent incidents — including a recent gruesome arson attack that left a woman burned to death on a Coney Island train — has shaken public confidence in the system.

The mounting anxieties have triggered political action at the state and city levels. Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams have jointly ramped up efforts to restore public safety in the subways. Hochul’s office emphasized to The New York Post that she has surged over 1,000 uniformed personnel into the transit system and recently unveiled a plan to ensure two NYPD officers are present on every overnight train.

Most notably, Hochul has also deployed National Guard troops into subway stations, a move that underscores just how seriously the state is taking public fears over subway safety.

“Governor Hochul’s top priority is public safety,” her spokesperson told The New York Post. “We’re always open to partnering with the federal government on ways to fund New York’s priorities.”

There are early signs that these aggressive interventions may be working. As cited by The New York Post, transit crime has dropped nearly 27% year-over-year, according to the latest NYPD data. But federal authorities appear unconvinced that the MTA has done enough to structurally reform its safety protocols or demonstrate responsible fiscal stewardship of federal funds.

Critics of the MTA note that much of the data requested by Duffy is already publicly available, prompting speculation that this federal inquiry is as much about political optics as it is about policy. Nonetheless, the Department of Transportation has made it clear that it expects rigorous, transparent, and actionable documentation from the transit authority.

The New York Post report said that alarming new data shows felony assaults in the transit system remain 56% higher than they were in 2019, reinforcing persistent public safety concerns even as officials tout recent progress.

“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,” Duffy wrote in the letter, obtained by The New York Post. “The transit riders and workers of New York City deserve nothing less.”

Despite encouraging headlines about overall crime trends, the data tells a more complex story. According to figures highlighted in The New York Post report, felony assaults remain up an astonishing 56% compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019 — a jarring statistic that stands in contrast to broader claims of improvement in subway safety. While officials celebrate reductions in fare evasion and overall crime since the height of the COVID-19 crisis, the unrelenting rise in serious violent incidents like assaults continues to fuel fear and anxiety among straphangers.

The timing of the letter also adds intrigue to the political backdrop. Just days before Duffy’s letter hit the MTA’s desk, Governor Kathy Hochul met with President Trump at the White House, following weeks of contentious exchanges between state and federal officials over the controversial congestion pricing plan for Manhattan’s central business district.

The New York Post previously reported that Duffy issued a separate letter in February warning he would revoke federal approval for the tolling initiative. That move triggered a swift lawsuit from the MTA and a counter-deadline from federal officials, demanding that the program be halted by March 21. But Hochul and MTA Chairman Janno Lieber have so far stood their ground, vowing to continue collecting tolls while the case winds through the courts.

The feud has seen Hochul swing between public rebukes and strategic diplomacy — alternately criticizing Trump’s interference while still seeking federal cooperation on major infrastructure priorities such as the redevelopment of Penn Station.

In response to the federal scrutiny, MTA officials pushed back against the narrative of negligence. Speaking to The New York Post, John J. McCarthy, the agency’s chief of policy and external relations, insisted that the agency and NYPD have made significant strides in addressing 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,” McCarthy said. He also noted that fare evasion dropped by 25% in the second half of last year, reversing what had been a troubling surge during the height of the pandemic.

Still, McCarthy and Lieber acknowledged that serious challenges remain — particularly around violent crime, which federal officials continue to flag as an area of deep concern. Duffy’s letter calls on the MTA to provide a full accounting of both crime-related data and the funding allocations being used to address these issues, including money from federal, state, and city sources.

The stakes are enormous. As The New York Post report emphasized, the MTA anticipates needing up to $14 billion in federal aid over the next five years to support its sprawling capital plan. But with Congress set to reconsider transit funding allocations in 2026, the agency now faces pressure to prove that those taxpayer dollars are yielding results where it matters most: public safety.

Duffy’s letter makes clear that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) could initiate enforcement actions — including redirecting or withholding funds — if the MTA fails to show measurable compliance with federal safety expectations.

What began as a bureaucratic oversight action now carries the weight of a broader political reckoning. The federal government’s aggressive posture toward the MTA reflects a growing national frustration with urban transit systems plagued by crime, disorder, and declining ridership. And in New York City, where subway safety has become a flashpoint for both commuters and politicians, this latest move could mark a turning point.

Whether Duffy’s crackdown forces meaningful reforms or sparks a deeper standoff remains to be seen. But as The New York Post has reported, one thing is clear: Washington is no longer willing to write blank checks for a system that fails to prove it’s safe.