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MTA boss left out as Mayor Adams tours subway with Trump's transportation secretary
By
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Liam Quigley
Published Apr 4, 2025
Modified Apr 4, 2025
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Brittany Kriegstein
By
Brittany Kriegstein
and
Liam Quigley
Published Apr 4, 2025
Modified Apr 4, 2025
Share
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Mayor Eric Adams toured a Manhattan station with U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Friday, as the head of the MTA tried in vain to join both men.
MTA Chair Janno Lieber said he was stuck in a “Where’s Waldo game” on a platform of the Brooklyn Borough Hall subway station as he looked for Duffy — who recently called the subway system “a s---hole” – and Adams. Word had leaked that Duffy and the mayor were expected to swing by the station after visiting the triple cantilever section of the BQE, which is in dire need of repairs that will require federal funding.
“ I’d just love it if the secretary of transportation was getting proper briefings so he could interact with us effectively,” Lieber told reporters at the Borough Hall station.
“ We're working hard to make progress and we expect that the feds will be a partner and not an opponent.”
Duffy has ratcheted up his attacks on the MTA and Gov. Kathy Hochul while trying to kill Manhattan’s congestion pricing program. He’s also threatened to withhold federal money due what he says is out-of-control crime in the subway. On Thursday, the MTA touted a “historic drop” in crime on public transit.
After chatting with the press and MTA workers at Borough Hall, Lieber gave up and boarded a subway train. But soon, word emerged Duffy and Adams would visit the Broadway-Lafayette Station in Manhattan.
There, Duffy criticized congestion pricing to a group of reporters as “fundamentally unfair” and “classist.” He also suggested Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, should review MTA spending.
Adams, standing next to him, did not push back.
“They’re supposed to raise questions,” Adams said, referring to the federal government. “We’re supposed to have the answers.”
A City Hall spokesperson said Adams' team had told federal transit officials it would have been happy to have the MTA join the tour. The official said the federal Department of Transportation would have to answer why Lieber wasn't invited.
Last month, Duffy wrote a letter to Lieber demanding an action plan to reduce crime in the system.
There have been no murders on the city’s subways so far this year, according to NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, who touted record-low crime across New York City alongside Adams on Thursday.
Overall subway crime is also down 22% so far this year compared to 2024, according to the governor’s office.
Trump and Hochul continue to negotiate over congestion pricing's fate. The talks have expanded to include a proposed natural gas pipeline, as well as the renovation of Penn Station.
But Duffy showed no sign of easing his criticism of the nation’s largest transit system.
A Daily News reporter tweeted that Duffy was asked if he still felt the subway was a “s---hole” after the tour with Adams. “Some would say,” Duffy reportedly replied.
Hochul spokesperson Avi Small took the opportunity to remind Duffy that the vast majority of people in the toll zone got there by public transit.
"We hope the secretary enjoyed his field trip to Manhattan and we encourage him to come back soon and ride a train or bus — like 90% of commuters to the Central Business District do every single day," Small said.
Tagged
manhattan
transportation
Brittany Kriegstein
Brittany Kriegstein covers all breaking news around New York City, with a focus on crime and gun violence. Got a tip? Email Brittany at [email protected].
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Liam Quigley
Liam Quigley is a reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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