New York transit officials sued the Trump administration Tuesday, claiming the feds have illegally withheld nearly $60 million in funding for the expansion of the Second Avenue Subway into East Harlem.
The lawsuit, filed in the Court of Federal Claims in Washington, DC, claims the White House’s refusal to turn over the promised funds has imperiled the $7 billion plan to add new Q train stops at 106th, 116th and 125th streets.
“Donald Trump’s unlawful funding pause has put this entire project at risk,” Gov. Kathy Hochul said in a statement.
The suit comes months after President Trump’s budget director Ross Vought announced that the feds were freezing funding for both the Second Avenue Subway and the massive Gateway project to build a new tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey.
A federal judge ordered the White House to restore $16 billion in Gateway Tunnel funds after the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey filed a lawsuit.
“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,” Hochul said Tuesday. “Just like Gateway, Donald Trump has two options: restore the money now, or wait for a judge to force him to.”
In an October 2025 social media post, Vought said that the funds were being frozen for a federal review of whether the MTA used “principles” of diversity, equity and inclusion in doling out contracts.
The MTA says it complied with the review, but the feds have nonetheless continued to freeze the funds.
A spokesperson for the US Transportation Department did not immediately respond Tuesday to a request for comment.
