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Adams, Transportation Sec. Duffy to visit BQE
New York City Mayor Eric Adams and U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy held a meeting to discuss NYC's transportation infrastructure needs. FOX 5 NY's Linda Schmidt has the details.
NEW YORK - After calling the New York City subway system a "s---hole," Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy is set to tour it alongside the mayor.
"When the secretary comes, I'm gonna take him to the BQE... I'm gonna take him to see why we need our federal assistance on infrastructure," Adams told Good Day New York on Friday.
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Mayor Adams, Commissioner Tisch talk deadly police chase, crime stats, mayoral campaign
With the criminal corruption case behind him, Adams expresses confidence in his upcoming mayoral campaign. Commissioner Tisch addresses the possibility of taking on a new role within the administration and comments on the deadly police chase, despite the decrease in overall crime stats.
The mayor said he plans to discuss everything from environmental impact to traffic flow with Duffy.
It's unclear what exact subway stations they will visit.
The backstory:
WASHINGTON, DC - APRIL 02: U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy arrives to testify before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on April 02, 2025 in Washington, DC. The Committee met to investigat …
Last month, Duffy threatened to withhold federal funding to New York’s mass transit system if it didn't receive documentation of the steps taken to address crime and create a safe environment for riders and workers; However, it's unclear whether the MTA delivered.
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MTA invites Sean Duffy to its next budget meeting
After months of back and forth between the agency and the federal government, the MTA says they welcome Duffy to look over the budget for himself. FOX 5 NY's Hayley Fixler has the later.
Duffy demanded a list of the actions and plans New York officials have taken to address transit worker assaults, fare evasion and other criminal activity, including customer assaults and injuries. The letter specifically mentions "passengers being pushed in front of trains," "subway surfing" and suicides.
Adams also said that it would ultimately be up to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber to negotiate a plan for the subway system.
The other side:
Both the MTA and transit advocates have pushed back on Duffy's threats. Despite some reason high-profile crimes, the MTA insists that the transit system is getting safer.
"If [Secretary Duffy] wants to contribute constructively to the improvement of our subway system, to the feeling in the city, the answer is to invest, to engage, not to try to tear us apart," said Danny Pearlstein, communication director with the Riders Alliance.
What did Duffy say about NYC?
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Advocates push back after Transportation Sec. Duffy says system is a 's---hole'
Transportation Sec. Duffy called the subway system unsafe and a homeless shelter.
While touring the Route 80 sinkholes , he responded to a reporter's question about the subway system, he used profanity and accused New York Gov. Kathy Hochul of shirking her duty to keep riders safe.
"If you want people to take the train, take transit, then make it safe, make it clean, make it beautiful, make it wonderful," he said. "Don't make it a s***hole, which is what she's done. And she can fix it in hours."
By the numbers:
Publicly available statistics show major crime on the subway system trending downward, transit officials point out.
Here's a look at the numbers:
- Overall crime: Officials point out that crime is down 40% compared to the same period in 2020 right before the pandemic
- Violent crime: Violent crime is rare overall in New York's subway system, which carries millions of riders every day. Train cars and stations are generally as safe as any other public place. The NYPD reported 382 crimes in the transit system so far this year, which includes 188 grand larcenies, 119 felony assaults, 70 robberies, three rapes and two burglaries.
- Felony assaults: Major felonies in the system have ticked down overall the past few years, although the number of assaults have risen, from 373 in 2019 to 579 in 2024, according to NYPD data.