Medium severityOngoingApr 1, 2025
Penn Station federal takeover
The Trump administration removed the MTA as lead of the Penn Station overhaul in favor of Amtrak; Hochul welcomed it as a savings win and withdrew NY's $1.3B. In June 2026 Amtrak and "Penn Transformation Partners" signed a pre-development agreement and unveiled a ~$7-8B design (renderings included Trump's name and a presidential seal); ~$240M federal is committed and Amtrak says it will proceed with or without the MTA. Cost-sharing remains unresolved.
Both sides, sourced
The case on each side
Defenders argue
Hochul said federal funds save NY taxpayers $1.3B.
Critics argue
Critics questioned ceding state control, and cost-sharing disputes later arose.
Last updated Jul 4, 2026 · Nonpartisan accountability