The Trump administration’s decision to withhold nearly $60 million in funding for the Second Avenue subway expansion is unfair political interference at the expense of New Yorkers.

This project has been in development since 1920 and has been set back numerous times, making the recent pushback against it unacceptable, especially when the federal government has already committed these funds and building has already been underway.

The federal government owes money to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, and refusing to release the funds forces the MTA to divert money away from other major transportation projects to fill the gap, straining a system that is already under pressure.

This is an illegal power move that President Donald Trump and his administration have tried to justify by pointing the finger at the MTA’s diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, claiming that it unfairly issues contracts to minorities.  

However, MTA officials have proved these accusations false and that they were not issuing contracts only to women and minority owned businesses, yet the owed funding still wasn’t issued.

This is clearly retaliation from one political party toward the other, and it creates unnecessary tension between New York state and the federal government. As Democrats and Republicans continue fighting, the consequences continue to fall on everyday people and riders who rely on the subway for daily commuting. 

The Second Avenue subway line expansion would extend the Q line from 96th Street all the way to 125th Street in Harlem, relieving pressure from the 4, 5 and 6 lines on Lexington Avenue, while improving transit access in underserved areas of Harlem. This is essential infrastructure meant to improve the lives of residents and workers, and yet, while the Trump administration thinks it is punishing Democrats, it is ultimately punishing commuters who rely on public transit to function.

New Yorkers must constantly deal with overcrowding at stations, unreliable service and limited access, even though existing funding could address these issues, yet it’s being dangled in front of their leaders’ faces. This plan has been in the works for the past 100 years, and after a century of delays, this interruption is the last thing that New Yorkers need.