Overview

• Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has sent repeated letters demanding detailed incident data and safety protocols from the MTA, warning that late filings could render the agency ineligible for federal grants.
• USDOT associate administrator Joe DeLorenzo found that New York City Transit submitted 79% of its National Transit Database major incident reports late in 2024, averaging 36.5 days overdue.
• The MTA insists overall transit crime is down 3% year to date, subway ridership is rising and a court injunction has preserved its $9 congestion pricing program.
• Duffy has escalated public criticism of the MTA and Governor Kathy Hochul, citing a 19% increase in felony assaults this year and targeting “stupid liberals” for subway conditions.
• The dispute merges federal safety oversight with a legal fight over congestion pricing and underscores broader tensions over data transparency and local transit policy.