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10/10/2025
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul yesterday called out the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials for threatening to cut the Metropolitan Transportation Authority's (MTA) federal Transit Security Grant Program funds, which were slated for covering safety and security functions on the city's transit system.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administers the program, which was created following 9/11 and disperses DHS funding. MTA was slated to receive $34 million from the program this year, but last week, MTA learned it was the only agency of 21 applicants nationwide to not receive federal security funding via the program, MTA officials said in a press release.
New York City also is fighting the cut, as part of the DHS funding was going to support the New York City Police Department. City officials argue that the DHS's move to cut funding was politically motivated, according to a press release from New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
The New York Attorney General's Office yesterday filed a lawsuit against the DHS in the Southern District of New York. A judge issued a temporary restraining order barring the DHS from cutting the MTA's grants, MTA officials said. MTA has not been notified that funding has been restored.
The MTA had planned to use the funding for two cybersecurity projects, 330 tactical cellular cameras, an expansion of MTA's chemical detection system, security training for 16,000 MTA employees, 374 deployments of MTA police department counterterrorism teams, three MTA police department counterterrorism response vehicles, and several hundred cameras, access control points and laser intrusion detection systems.
Last week, Hochul also helped renegotiate $187 million in counterterrorism and homeland security funding cuts that were planned by the DHS.
The MTA has been under scrutiny by Republicans for security concerns on the New York City Transit's subway system and for the use of congestion tolling in busy motor vehicle regions. For their part, MTA, New York state and the New York Police Department have made progress in subway safety in recent years, MTA officials say.
In September, crime on the subway system was down 31% from September 2024. This year also marked the safest summer in the subway since 2009, with major crimes down nearly 10% from 2024, MTA officials said.