Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) announced on Tuesday that the state of New York and the Metropolitan Transit Authority are suing the Trump administration over withheld funds for a subway expansion project.
“We’re suing the Trump administration for illegally withholding billions of dollars for the Second Avenue Subway extension. For months, they’ve stood in the way of progress. New Yorkers can’t afford to wait,” Hochul wrote on X.
The project aims to build three new subway stations along the Q line to extend it from the Upper East Side into East Harlem, with an estimated cost of $7 billion. Construction has already begun despite an October funding freeze.
According to the suit, the U.S. government had “agreed to provide but has improperly refused to disburse” more than $58 million for the project. Around half of the funding, $3.4 billion, was expected to come from the federal government.
In October, President Donald Trump froze roughly $18 billion in infrastructure projects for New York City. The freeze was caused in part by disputes with Democrats, stemming from the government shutdown.
Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said funding was not “flowing based on unconstitutional DEI principles” in a statement on X.
The money was expected to fund the subway extension and a multimillion-dollar tunneling project under the Hudson River. Earlier this year, a judge ordered Trump to unlock the funds for the tunneling project after New York and New Jersey filed suit.
New York lawmakers have spoken in favor of the suit. “East Harlem has waited over a hundred years for this line.” Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) wrote on X. “These projects are not political bargaining chips, they are lifelines for New York’s economy and union workers, and we will fight until every dollar of promised funding is delivered.”
Hochul likewise placed the blame on the Trump administration.
“I’m committed to getting these projects done,” she said in a statement, “but also I need an administration in Washington who stops fighting with us, so return the money now or we’ll see you in court.”
In February, the MTA sent the Transportation Department a warning letter threatening legal action if the reimbursements were not paid by March 6.
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A DOT spokeswoman told the Washington Examiner that the department is considering “all legal avenues.”
“USDOT is committed to ensuring hardworking taxpayer dollars are being spent responsibly,” DOT press secretary Brenna Jefferies said. “We are considering all legal avenues.”
