Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Here are how Donald Trump's promised policy changes could be felt in NYC
By
Stephen Nessen
,
Jon Campbell
and
Jessica Gould
Published Nov 6, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
By
Stephen Nessen
,
Jon Campbell
and
Jessica Gould
Published Nov 6, 2024
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Donald Trump is returning to the White House, according to election results from the Associated Press, and he’s promised policy changes in his second term that could be deeply felt in New York.
Mass deportations of undocumented immigrants could place entire neighborhoods under siege. Federal funding for some of the MTA’s most high-profile transit projects could be withdrawn. And public education could be transformed by the elimination – or downsizing – of the federal education department.
Here’s a roundup of three areas where Trump’s policies are likely to affect New Yorkers.
Transit
Trump’s election casts doubt on the future of major transportation projects in New York.
During his first term, Trump stalled federal funding for the Gateway project to build a new tunnel for Amtrak and NJ Transit beneath the Hudson River. His federal Department of Transportation also slow-walked approval of congestion pricing – a program that Trump has signaled he’ll kill once he's sworn into a second term.
The MTA’s next $65.4 billion capital plan is counting on as much as $14 billion in federal funding to cover the costs, which could now be in jeopardy.
However, Tom Wright, president of the influential Regional Plan Association, said Trump’s election may not mean inevitable doom for local transit. He pointed to a strategy used by foreign leaders and some Democrats when it comes to Trump: flattery and public praise.
For now, the fate of congestion pricing is in the hands of Gov. Kathy Hochul, who paused the program indefinitely. Many experts believe if it's not up and running by inauguration day, there is little chance Trump will sign off on the plan to toll drivers traveling south of 60th Street in Manhattan. In May, Trump declared on social media he would “TERMINATE Congestion Pricing in my FIRST WEEK back in Office!!”
Immigration
Trump has been clear about his goal when it comes to immigration: to deport as many people as possible. At the Republican National Convention, he promised to launch “the largest deportation operation in the history of our country.”
Trump’s campaign centered on a hardline approach to the U.S.-Mexico border. And if he has his way — a big if, given the many civil-rights attorneys who will line up to challenge him — it could have a major effect on millions of people who are undocumented or seeking asylum, including some of the tens of thousands of recently arrived migrants who remain in New York City’s care.
Theo Oshiro, executive director of Make the Road Action, has said a second Trump administration would be an “existential threat” to members of immigrant communities who “see themselves as contributors to our country.”
"We are outraged and heartbroken by the results of the election. The policies peddled by Donald Trump are racist, misogynistic and anti-immigrant," Oshiro said in a press release Wednesday. "We are clear-eyed about the dangers posed by a second Trump administration, especially as he has made vilifying and dehumanizing immigrants the centerpiece of his campaign."
An estimated 476,000 undocumented immigrants reside in New York City, according to a January report by city Comptroller Brad Lander.
Trump's deportation push is expected to rely, in part, on his plan to invoke the Alien Enemies Act of 1798, a rarely used, centuries-old law that allows presidents to remove non-citizens from enemy nations during war. The law formed the legal basis for Japanese internment camps during World War II. Republicans’ 2024 platform calls for Trump to invoke the law to remove immigrants who are known gang members, drug dealers or cartel members.
He’s also said he would dispatch the U.S. military to the border under a law known as the Insurrection Act.
In both cases, Trump would likely face legal challenges. In a paper earlier this year, the American Civil Liberties Union said Trump “simply cannot accomplish his immigration agenda without violating the Constitution and federal laws.”
Education
The 2024 Republican platform calls for abolishing the federal Department of Education and giving more control to the states. The party also supports “parental rights” that push back on diversity initiatives in schools and classrooms.
According to the platform, “Republicans will ensure children are taught fundamentals like reading, history, science and math, not left-wing propaganda.” It also calls for supporting teaching of “Western civilization,” and promises to defund schools that engage in “inappropriate indoctrination.”
While New York City has been relatively insulated from many of these culture war battles, there have been efforts to censor some books highlighting LGBTQ+ issues, notably on Staten Island. Some activists have called for changes to city policies that allow students to play sports according to their gender identity. Those voices have been in the minority. But with Trump’s election, their advocacy may now receive support from the federal government.
Those cultural issues, however, pale in comparison to Republicans’ goal of dismantling the federal Department of Education entirely. Federal dollars make up 6% of the city education department’s budget – though Republicans propose sending federal funding to the states with no strings attached.
Although Republicans have long campaigned to dismantle the Department of Education, doing so would require congressional approval. The perennial pledge has failed for decades.
Tagged
new york city
Politics
Stephen Nessen
Stephen Nessen covers transportation. Since 2008 he has reported on everything from Occupy Wall Street, the rebuilding of the World Trade Center site, Hurricane Sandy, to Trump’s campaign for president. His transportation reporting has taken him everywhere from the MTA’s secret Rail Control Center to the gleaming subways of Seoul. Got a tip? Email [email protected].
Read more
Jon Campbell
Jon Campbell covers the New York State Capitol for WNYC and Gothamist. Prior to that, he covered the Capitol for more than a decade for the USA TODAY Network. He has twice earned the Walter T. Brown Memorial Award, an honor given annually by the Legislative Correspondents Association alumni for outstanding state government coverage. Jon grew up in the Buffalo area and graduated from the University at Albany. Got a tip? Email Jon at [email protected] or Signal at JonCampbellNY.90.
Read more
Jessica Gould
Jessica is the education reporter for WNYC and Gothamist. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Jessica reported on the shutdown and reopening of the nation’s largest school system, highlighting the unprecedented impacts on learning, health and mental health for students, staff and families. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Central Park birders, others remember 63-year-old woman killed in park
People who said they knew her described her as an artist and a familiar presence in the Ramble.
By
Charles Lane
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 7:04 p.m. ET
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
News
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .