Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy listed renaming New York’s Penn Station as an administration precedence on Wednesday, resulting in hypothesis the nation’s busiest transit hub may very well be rechristened in honor of President Trump as a part of an $8 billion makeover.
Duffy penned a letter, despatched to leaders of a number of Senate committees, urging Congress to “direct Amtrak to rename New York Penn Station” when it reauthorizes funding for floor transportation initiatives that expire on Sept. 30.
“Now we have a novel alternative via reauthorization efforts to handle key initiatives – significantly these associated to reworking New York Penn Station,” he wrote.
Duffy didn’t embody a suggestion for what Manhattan practice hub ought to be referred to as, however vowed it might be “re-built right into a brand-new, world-class station.”
A spokesperson for the Division of Transportation declined to touch upon whether or not the administration is searching for to rename Penn Station after Trump.
Retiring Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY), whose district contains Penn Station, referred to as the proposal “ridiculous.”
“[A]fter months of hiding from the general public, Sean Duffy has confirmed that the Trump administration is waging a hostile takeover of Penn Station, together with delivering Trump his dream of renaming Penn Station after himself,” Nadler wrote on X. “I strongly oppose this ridiculous proposal and am as soon as once more demanding solutions on the funding.
“This can be one of the crucial costly tasks within the nation, but the administration nonetheless has not disclosed how it is going to be funded or who can pay the invoice.”
Nadler additional described the Penn Station rebuild as a “Trump self-importance mission.”
Duffy has beforehand hinted that Penn Station may very well be renamed after Trump.
“I think about you’re asking, ‘Is that this going to be Trump Station?’” he instructed reporters final August. “I believe that has a pleasant ring to it.
“That may be a dialog that would occur at another level.”
Earlier this yr, Trump himself reportedly requested Senate Minority Chief Chuck Schumer (D-NY) to again renaming Penn Station in alternate for the discharge of $16 billion in federal funds for the Hudson River rail tunnel mission.
Schumer reportedly instructed the president that he didn’t have the ability to ship on the bizarre request, in keeping with CNN. The funds have been ultimately unfrozen by way of a court docket order.
The prospect of renaming Penn Station after Trump first arose final April, when the Division of Transportation took over the renovation mission from New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
On the time, New York Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul indicated she’d be tremendous calling it “Trump Station” if the president might get the long-stalled mission accomplished.
Renderings of the revamp launched in June confirmed “Pennsylvania Station” etched into the stone facade exterior the ability. Contained in the station, the phrases “President Donald J. Trump” have been carved right into a stone wall alongside the presidential seal.
Except for directing Amtrak to rename the decrepit Manhattan practice station, Duffy requested senators to authorize an extra $1 billion grant for the renovation and permit Amtrak to enter into agreements to gather funds from builders in lieu of getting the builders pay taxes.
