Congressional Hearing on NYC Subway Safety
During a recent session of the House Committee on Transport and Infrastructure, a contentious exchange unfolded between Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy and New York Democratic Representative Jerry Nadler regarding subway safety in New York City.
Nadler accused Duffy of misrepresenting facts from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). The hearing was initially focused on the 2026 transportation budget put forward by the Trump administration, but the discussion soon devolved into a heated argument.
Nadler stated, “Last week, you attacked the MTA again, claiming that subway violence is on the rise while alleging that they’re withholding information. Many of your claims misrepresent the truth and ignore documents already presented to your department. I’d like to address some of these directly.”
“Did you know that major crimes in the transportation system, including assaults, have actually decreased by 3% since last year and 8% since 2019?” he added.
Duffy fired back, stating the statistics quoted by Nadler were “false,” asserting instead that incidents had increased by 60% since 2019. Nadler, unfazed, retorted, “Why do you keep ignoring this and continuing to lie in public?”
Duffy responded, “Why do you keep lying about being attacked on the subway or being pushed in front of a train? We should be working to ensure our subway systems are safe to encourage people to use them.”
Nadler pushed back, emphasizing, “Our subway is safe, and I’ve provided you with evidence. Secretary Duffy, why do you keep misrepresenting New York City?”
Duffy adamantly replied, “You’re wrong. Don’t call me a liar.”
The discussion also referenced a tragic incident last December where a fire was set on a subway by an undocumented immigrant, resulting in a fatality. Duffy expressed concerns about rising violence, saying, “The MTA continues to evade the Department of Transportation while New Yorkers face a disturbing increase in subway attacks. Innocent victims are suffering, and daily commuters are living in fear. The MTA must share relevant information to assess safety measures and improve protocols.”
In a federal transportation agency press conference, he noted specific queries that needed addressing:
- Criteria for selecting safety risk mitigation strategies.
- Metrics for assessing the effectiveness of safety measures.
- Functionality of surveillance cameras and duration of recordings kept.
- Potential revisions in train design to include accessible features for safety.
As of May, there had been 262 felony assaults recorded in the NYC subway system, raising alarms over safety concerns.
