Trump Administration Warns of Potential MTA Funding Suspension Due to Safety Concerns in Workforce
The ongoing investigation by the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) into the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) following the death of transit worker Hilarion Joseph in November 2023 is causing significant concern for the MTA. The FTA has expressed serious concerns about the MTA's worker safety measures and has threatened to withhold up to 25% of federal funding if the MTA fails to improve.
The FTA has repeatedly criticized the MTA's safety risk assessments submitted in response to increased incidents, including near-misses. In 2023, NYC Transit experienced a 65% increase in potential employee-near misses compared to 2021, a rate that is 3.4 times higher than the preceding eight years. Despite the MTA submitting a second safety risk assessment (SRA) in January 2025, the FTA still found the SRA insufficient for addressing the scale of safety issues.
FTA Administrator Marc Molinaro and other officials have emphasized that safety is a top priority and have expressed frustration with the MTA’s failure to implement stronger safety measures following serious accidents, including Hilarion Joseph's fatal incident. The FTA has threatened to withhold a substantial portion of federal funds to pressure the MTA into ensuring full accountability and improving worker safety conditions.
The MTA has held regular meetings with the FTA and conducted employee safety audits in collaboration with labor partners since late 2023 to identify improvement areas. However, these efforts have not yet satisfied federal regulators.
As of August 2025, there is no public indication that the federal safety investigation has concluded or that final corrective actions have been accepted by the FTA. The oversight remains active and characterized by escalating federal pressure on the MTA to address worker safety comprehensively.
It's important to note that this investigation primarily centers on worker safety risk management and fatal accident follow-up and does not appear to be linked to any cybersecurity incidents affecting MTA operations in 2025.
[1] Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Press Release, "FTA Issues Special Directive to MTA under Biden Administration, Requiring Answers on Transit Worker Safety," 2024. [2] New York Times, "FTA Investigates MTA Worker Safety Following Hilarion Joseph's Death," 2024. [3] Associated Press, "MTA Faces Federal Pressure over Worker Safety Concerns," 2025. [4] Wall Street Journal, "FTA Rejects MTA's Second Safety Risk Assessment," 2025. [5] CNN, "FTA Threatens to Withhold Funding from MTA over Worker Safety Concerns," 2025.
Read also:
- United States tariffs pose a threat to India, necessitating the recruitment of adept negotiators or strategists, similar to those who had influenced Trump's decisions.
- Weekly happenings in the German Federal Parliament (Bundestag)
- Southwest region's most popular posts, accompanied by an inquiry:
- Discussion between Putin and Trump in Alaska could potentially overshadow Ukraine's concerns
