Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Wednesday that the Transportation Department will “reclaim management” of Union Station, Washington’s transit hub, citing homelessness and safety concerns.
The announcement comes after President Donald Trump deployed the National Guard to Washington to fight crime, which Democrats have likened to a federal takeover of the city. Trump also called on Congress to provide $2 billion to “beautify” the city.
DOT owns Union Station, but the nonprofit Union Station Redevelopment Corporation and Amtrak share various management responsibilities such as leasing and day-to-day operations of the station. Duffy said at a Wednesday press conference at Union Station that it has been “neglected for decades,” and stressed that the takeover is “not a power play.”
“We are going to take DOT from our partners … and we are going to make the investments to make sure that this station isn’t dirty, that we don’t have homelessness in Union Station,” Duffy said. “We think that we can manage the property better, bring in more tenants, bring in more revenue, and that revenue is going to allow us to make investments in this beautiful building.”
Duffy made the announcement ahead of a press conference unveiling Amtrak’s new high-speed Acela train sets.
Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., said in a statement that she is seeking more clarification on the DOT takeover because “scant details were included in today’s announcement.”
A spokesperson for Norton said she is concerned that Duffy will dissolve the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation or Amtrak’s newly acquired leasehold on Union Station.
“Or the announcement could be more symbolic than anything,” the spokesperson wrote in an email. “There are several possibilities for the new legal structure, and the announcement doesn’t indicate specifically.”
Norton added in a statement that Trump should get Congress to pass her bill to make the USRC eligible for funding under several federal transportation grant programs.
The department will now renegotiate a cooperative agreement with the redevelopment corporation and Amtrak, with a formal action confirming DOT’s renewed control expected in September, DOT said.
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