Washington, D.C. – Today, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (NY-12) released the following statement regarding Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy's letter to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works regarding an extension of the Surface Transportation Reauthorization Act:

"Since the Trump administration began its hostile takeover of the Penn Station renovation project in April 2025, I and other New York elected officials, community advocates, and local residents have called on the Trump administration to provide transparency about the process and funding. The administration has dodged oversight at every turn–refusing to issue a single public correspondence or congressional briefing on the issue. As the Congressman representing Penn Station, I have repeatedly warned that the Trump administration is weaponizing the Surface Transportation Reauthorization to strip local authorities of control over Penn Station at New Yorkers’ expense. Now, after months of misleading the public, Sean Duffy is laying out the Trump administration’s priorities.

"Sean Duffy requested $1 billion in Federal-State Partnership funding for the Intercity Passenger Rail (FSP) Grant Program. This is a woefully insufficient answer to the question the Trump administration has been dodging for months–how will the $8 billion Penn Station renovation be funded and who will pay the bill?

"During the Surface Transportation Reauthorization markup in May, U.S. Representatives Addison McDowell (SC-06) and Seth Moulton (MA-06), neither of whom represent Penn Station or New York City, introduced an amendment as a tool for the Trump administration to steal control and tax revenue of Penn Station from local New York authorities via the McDowell-Moulton Amendment. The amendment that Duffy is championing would hand Amtrak sweeping authority over development around intercity rail stations–allowing Amtrak, a federally controlled entity, to own, lease, and enter into private development agreements, and avoid state and local taxes, building codes, and zoning requirements around Penn Station. This would empower Trump to permanently reshape land use around Penn Station and allow multi-billion-dollar companies to avoid paying full taxes–taxes which would fund local schools, public safety, housing, and basic services. The Trump administration cannot be trusted with this unprecedented level of control over Penn Station, and corporations should not be allowed to skirt public obligations that local communities rely upon.

"After Steven Roth, CEO of Vornado, and James Dolan, billionaire owner of Madison Square Garden, met with Donald Trump at the White House and Roth was announced as a member of Penn Transformation Partners, I raised concerns that there was improper coordination of this project’s bid. Beyond that, it appears the corporations that received the bid, the Trump administration, and members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee colluded to use the Surface Transportation Reauthorization process to enrich Donald Trump’s billionaire allies at the expense of everyday New Yorkers. Secretary Duffy’s letter confirms that all of these individuals were working towards the same goal: to block local input and ensure that New Yorkers are stuck with the bill for this project.


"This will be one of the most expensive projects in the country, yet the administration has nodded to their intention to rename Penn Station after Donald Trump and has not disclosed how it will be funded or who will pay the bill. New York taxpayers and transit riders must not be forced to pay for a Trump vanity project."

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