Sen. Schumer vows to block any bill to rename Penn Station after President Trump
Penn Station, which serves more than 600,000 daily commuters, is set for a major overhaul after the Trump administration transferred control of the long-delayed project from the MTA to Amtrak in April 2025.
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Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer is vowing to block any bill that would rename Penn Station after President Donald Trump.
The pledge comes after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter to three congressional committees seeking funding for the station's estimated $8 billion overhaul.
In the letter, Duffy outlined priorities for the project and directed Amtrak to rename the iconic transit hub, sparking speculation that it could ultimately bear Trump's name.
While the letter does not specifically mention Trump, Schumer pointed to comments Duffy made during the federal government's takeover of the project in August 2025, when he remarked that "Trump Station has a nice ring to it."
"Penn Station needs to be rebuilt for the millions of commuters who use it, not rebranded to satisfy Trump's bottomless ego," said Schumer. "Any bill that renames Penn Station is dead in the United States Senate. It does not matter what they attach it to."
Penn Station, which serves more than 600,000 daily commuters, is set for a major overhaul after the Trump administration transferred control of the long-delayed project from the MTA to Amtrak in April 2025.
Amtrak unveiled a new design and selected developers in June, with construction expected to begin by the end of 2027.
The project is estimated to cost about $8 billion, though no funding plan has been announced, Schumer said.
"They have no plan to pay for this station, but they have a name picked out," Schumer criticized. "We must rebuild Penn Station, modernize it, and get shovels in the ground. But the name is not on the table. Not in this bill, not in any bill, not ever."
A Department of Transportation spokesperson released the following statement regarding Schumer's statements:
"In the nearly-century Chuck Schumer has lorded over New York as Senator, MTA’s deficit ballooned to $50 billion while no progress was made in renovating Penn Station, and the facility was allowed to be overrun by homelessness and decrepit infrastructure.
While he sat on his hands, President Trump and Secretary Duffy went to work setting and meeting ambitious timelines to deliver a world class station for Americans to enjoy."
