New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and the MTA have filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration for withholding funds designed to extend the Second Avenue subway west into Harlem.
It has become an all too frequent occurrence — the White House standing in the way of a key New York infrastructure project and then state officials suing to get what they say they are rightfully owed.
“Tramples on everything we’ve held dear” Â
Hochul just beat back an attempt by the president to stop funding for the Hudson River tunnels, and she said Tuesday she’s hopeful the same thing will happen here.
“I’m going to fight back. That’s exactly what I’m doing. They can either give me the money now, or rather, it’s win in court and the judge will tell them. That’s their record. They lose,” Hochul said.
Hochul’s fighting words came after she and the MTA sued the Trump administration for withholding $60 million of a $3.4 billion grant for extending the Second Avenue subway by creating new stops on the Q line in East Harlem and Harlem.
“It’s a shame we have to do that. This money was allocated. It was properly appropriated by Congress, and this administration just tramples on everything we’ve held dear for 250 years, including the right of Congress to decide how the money’s spent,” Hochul said.
MTA Chair Janno Lieber said he hoped the Trump administration learned a lesson when the courts put the kibosh on an attempt to stop funding for the Gateway Program.
“We were hoping that the federal government would come to its senses, especially after the Gateway decision. But the time has come for Second Avenue subway to say the federal government has to make good on its legal commitments,” Lieber said.
The MTA said it has had to take money from other projects to pay for the Second Avenue subway, which is designed to shorten the commutes of more than 100,000 daily riders.
The White House’s rationale
White House officials first claimed the funds were held up pending review of the MTA’s minority- and women-owned business contracts.
The MTA suit also says there was an attempt by the president to blackmail Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“President Trump made clear that the payments had been suspended in order to put political pressure on Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) over the October 2025 government shutdown,” the suit charges, adding that the Department of Transpiration then described it as a “casualty of radical Democrats’ reckless decision to hold the federal government hostage to give illegal immigrants benefits.”
A spokesperson for the DOT said: “USDOT is committed to ensuring hardworking taxpayer dollars are being spent responsibly. We are considering all legal avenues.”