WASHINGTON, DC –  Today, Republican members of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee voted down—on a party-line basis—an amendment offered by Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-12) to provide substantial funding for transit safety and security.

The vote came just weeks after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy issued letters threatening to withhold federal funding from agencies like the MTA and WMATA over alleged safety concerns. Nadler’s amendment would have provided dedicated capital grants—fully authorized under existing law—to upgrade safety infrastructure, expand staffing, and better protect both passengers and frontline transit workers.

“Secretary Duffy claims to care about safety. But when Republicans were given the chance to support real solutions, they turned their backs on the very transit agencies they’ve been scapegoating,” said Congressman Nadler. “It’s clear that their threats to withhold federal funds from the MTA aren’t truly about safety—they’re about undermining New York’s increasingly popular congestion pricing program.”

Public transit remains one of the safest ways to travel, with the National Safety Council reporting it is ten times safer than driving. In New York, felony crime on the subway is at a 30-year low, and assaults on transit workers have dropped more than 30 percent, thanks in part to federal investments in cameras, de-escalation training, and safety teams. This amendment would have built on these gains by providing substantial funding to expand proven safety interventions nationwide. The federal government can and should do far more to help improve transit safety by investing in the infrastructure, staffing, and technology that protect both riders and workers.

“Riders don’t need threats from Washington about cutting vital transit funding—they need real investment in safety, reliability, and respect for the communities who rely on public transportation every day,” Congressman Nadler continued. “That’s what this amendment offered. Instead, Republicans chose politics over public safety.”