Trump administration threatens $50 million CTA funding cut, says security plan is 'materially deficient'

The Chicago Transit Authority’s new security plan, implemented to avoid losing federal funding, is “materially deficient” and doesn’t go far enough to target violent crime, President Donald Trump’s administration said Friday while threatening to withhold up to $50 million in funding.

The “security surge plan,” which took effect Friday, increases the number of Chicago police officers patrolling the CTA’s bus and rail systems from an average of 77 officers per day to 120, according to the CTA. Private security canine staffing also increased from an average of 172 canine security guards per day to 188.

But in a letter Friday to interim CTA President Nora Leerhsen, Federal Transit Administrator Marc Molinaro said the security enhancement plan “fails to meet the need for immediate, measurable corrective action to maintain a safe operating environment for workers and passengers.”

Citing a November attack on a Blue Line train, in which a man poured gasoline on a 26-year-old woman and set her on fire, the Trump administration had demanded earlier this month that the CTA implement new security measures or face a cut in funding.

The federal government has given the CTA until March 19 to submit a revised plan that addresses the FTA’s concerns. Otherwise, the city's transit agency will lose up to $50 million in funding through the Urbanized Area Formula grant program, which can be spent on a broad range of transit projects.

“CTA is in receipt of FTA’s response and will respond fully to the request within the allotted time frame to respond,” a CTA spokesperson told the Sun-Times.

During a City Hall news conference, Mayor Brandon Johnson said “the plan that was put forward by the CTA is sound.”

“It's a comprehensive plan that includes police officers, prevention efforts, wraparound services, technology — using essentially the same comprehensive approach that we have used to drive violence down in the city of Chicago,” Johnson said, pointing to steep declines in homicides and shootings over the past few years.

“It seems like what the Trump administration is doing is what they've always done, and it’s sort of arbitrarily making up elements and things that don't necessarily speak to something that's ground and solid,” Johnson said.

Earlier this year, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy threatened to cut federal funding to Chicago, citing other violent incidents on transit.

The number of reported crimes on CTA has decreased compared to last year, according to police data. Homicides and shootings have increased on CTA since last year, from five to seven and from 10 to 12, respectively, though most other violent crimes have dropped.

Contributing: Mitchell Armentrout