A House hearing on Wednesday spiraled into a war of words when Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy clashed over subway crime, public safety, and congestion pricing in New York City.
The heated exchange began when Nadler accused Duffy of spreading false information about the city’s subway system.
“As recently as last week, you again attacked the MTA, claiming that there’s a surge in subway assaults and accusing the agency of withholding information,” Nadler said. “But many of your statements misrepresent the facts and ignore documentation already provided to your department.”
Nadler pointed to MTA statistics showing that “major crime in the transit system, including assaults, is down 3 percent since last year and down 8 percent since 2019.”
Duffy fired back: “Those statistics are wrong.” He claimed assaults have actually gone up 60 percent since 2019.
Nadler didn’t back down. “Why do you continue to ignore this and lie about this in your public comments?” he asked.
That set off Duffy: “Why do you continue to lie about people being lit on fire in subways or pushed in front of trains?”
“You should be fighting to make sure your subways are safe,” Duffy continued. “If you want people to ride subways, let’s make subways safe.”
“Our subways are safe, and I gave you these statistics,” Nadler said.
“They’re wrong,” Duffy replied.
According to official MTA crime numbers from May 2025, major felonies overall are down 3.9% compared to the same period in 2024, and down 7.3% from 2019. But one key category — felony assaults — is up 18% since last year and has jumped more than 60% since 2019. Both men were selectively citing from the same report.
The argument didn’t end there. Nadler and Duffy then turned to congestion pricing — a program that charges drivers up to $9 during peak hours to enter Manhattan’s central business district. Nadler defended the plan, saying it’s no different from any toll road.
“There is no precedent for the Trump administration’s push to repeal this,” Nadler said.
Duffy disagreed. He argued drivers could avoid other tolls, but not this one: “Unlike normal turnpikes, drivers can’t opt out of the ‘Congestion Relief Zone.’”
That’s when the confrontation boiled over.
“Secretary Duffy, why do you continue to lie about New York City?” Nadler demanded.
“Don’t call me a liar here,” Duffy shot back.
“I’m calling you a liar because you’ve lied continually,” Nadler responded.
The hearing, meant to discuss transportation policy, had by then turned into a full-blown shouting match — with no sign of agreement in sight.
Watch the exchange below:
