Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Mar. 17 that New York State has filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration to prevent the withdrawal of billions of dollars in previously committed infrastructure funding for the Second Avenue Subway expansion in East Harlem.
The legal action comes as state officials seek to protect ongoing transit projects and jobs tied to the subway extension. The dispute centers on what Hochul described as an “unlawful funding pause” by former President Donald Trump, which she said threatens both daily commutes and employment for thousands of union workers.
Hochul said, “Once again, New York has been forced to sue the Trump Administration to stop them from erratically shutting off billions of dollars in previously committed infrastructure funding. For nearly a century, leaders have made big promises to the people of East Harlem about the expansion of the Second Avenue Subway. For nearly a century, those promises have been broken. When I took office, I pledged to be the Governor who kept her promise to this neighborhood and finally got this subway built.”
She added that significant progress has already been made on the project: “We have already made enormous progress — work is underway and the project is moving on schedule and on budget. But Donald Trump’s unlawful funding pause has put this entire project at risk. His actions alone have jeopardized the commutes of over 100,000 New Yorkers and the jobs of thousands of union workers, but New York will not back down.”
Hochul concluded with a direct message regarding next steps: “We told Donald Trump that if he did not restore the funding for this project, we’d see him in court. Today, we are doing just that. Just like Gateway, Donald Trump has two options: restore the money now, or wait for a judge to force him to.”
The outcome of this lawsuit could affect major infrastructure efforts in New York City and set precedents for future federal-state transportation partnerships.