The Trump administration is ramping up its effort to combat crime and homelessness, and is now turning its efforts to federally control the management of Union Station in Washington, D.C. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy elaborated on the plan with a local news outlet on Wednesday (August 27).
NBC News spoke with Secretary Duffy about the DOT’s plan, adding that this is part of President Donald Trump’s plan to reduce crime despite data showing that there has been less violence in the Nation’s Capital in times past.
“There’s too much crime, there’s too much homelessness. I think there’s been a lack of focus on bringing in revenue from Union Station and reinvesting it,” Duffy said to NBC News.
Duffy added, “The president wants, and I want, the capital to be beautiful. I think Americans want their capital to be beautiful, and Union Station is a key part of that.”
While it is true that unhoused individuals congregated inside and around Union Station, moves were made to reduce gatherings, such as the removal of seating areas that were once slated for passengers awaiting Amtrak and the commuter rail systems MARC and VRE trains.
The Federal Railroad Administration, a branch of DOT, has owned and operated Union Station since the 1980s, and Amtrak owns and operates the tracks and platforms via the Washington Terminal Company.
Amtrak and the Union Station Redevelopment Corporation (USRC) will work alongside the DOT to improve the station’s cosmetics and efficiency, along with moving unhoused individuals outside of the area.
In a recent visit to Union Station, we witnessed the National Guard troops walking the grounds in and around the facility, with little in the way of any of the cited concerns.
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Photo: Getty
