Former NY-19 Congressman Molinaro to Oversee Mass Transit in Trump Administration

Marc Molinaro, former Republican congressman for NY-19 and opponent of congestion pricing is in line to lead the federal agency that oversees mass transit.

Molinaro has had discussions with Trump administration officials about leading the Federal Transit Administration, according to people familiar with the matter. Part of the U.S. Department of Transportation, the FTA oversees mass transit systems around the nation and disburses roughly $20 billion a year in grant funding.

Molinaro has previously said he would be open to serving in the Trump administration. Several people briefed on his pending appointment said they expected it to be announced after the U.S. Senate takes up the nomination of Sean Duffy, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the federal transportation department.

A spokesman for Molinaro directed a request for comment to the federal Department of Transportation. The USDOT press office referred the request to the White House, which didn’t respond on Monday afternoon.

Final sign off for congestion pricing came from the Federal Highway Administration, another agency under the Department of Transportation’s umbrella. But Molinaro’s position at the FTA would work closely with top federal transportation officials and give him influence over grant awards, advocates said.

Molinaro served one term in the U.S. House of Representatives before losing a re-election bid last year, but he’s spent his entire adult life in public office. He was elected as a trustee of the Dutchess County village of Tivoli when he was 18. He went on to serve in the state Assembly and won three terms as Dutchess County executive. In 2018, Molinaro unsuccessfully ran for governor against Andrew Cuomo.

On the campaign trail last year, Molinaro joined other New York Republicans in attacking congestion pricing. Last week he reposted a letter from other elected officials urging Trump to scrap the program, which tolls most vehicles a daytime fare of $9 to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street.

“There is a clear path to undoing the State’s cash grab,” Molinaro wrote on X. “The MTA is in desperate need of reform, transparency & accountability. Hardworking NYers & New Jerseyans aren’t an ATM for this bloated bureaucracy. Safety, accountability, accessibility & efficiency first!”

Trump has said he wants to end the tolling program, which the MTA is counting on to fund $15 billion of service upgrades and infrastructure maintenance. Trump called the tolls “a massive business killer and tax on New Yorkers.”

Molinaro also recently criticized the cost of MTA infrastructure projects, honing in on the East Side Access project that brought Long Island Rail Road trains to Grand Central Terminal. The project took decades to complete and its final phase was more than $8 billion over budget. It was partly financed by a $2.6 billion FTA grant.

“It’s time for the MTA to reform how it builds,” Molinaro wrote on X. “Ignoring these excessive costs only hurts riders and taxpayers. We can have world-class infrastructure without paying world-record prices.”

The MTA in 2023 received a $3.4 billion FTA grant to extend the Second Avenue Subway into East Harlem. The authority is counting on billions more from the FTA to fund part of its current $65 billion five-year capital plan, which is being negotiated with state lawmakers.

“Transit oversight and funding is incredibly important to New York. The MTA moves 43% of Americans who use mass transit and we’re hopeful to get proportionate funding. We look forward to working with the new administration and its appointees,” MTA spokesperson Eugene Resnick wrote in an email.

Molinaro lost his re-election bid last year to Democrat Josh Riley. During the campaign, the Transport Workers Union endorsed the Republican because of his record on labor issues, said TWU International President John Samuelsen.

“He understands the necessity of public transit in downstate New York and he will work with the trade unions — he understands our issues,” Samuelsen said in an interview. “Simply put, he’s a good choice.”

Story by Jimmy Vielkind/New York Public News Network
Jimmy Vielkind covers how state government and politics affect people throughout New York. He has covered Albany since 2008, most recently as a reporter for The Wall Street Journal.

Image Credit: http://www.co.dutchess.ny.us