Newsmax crime correspondent Jason Mattera reported the Trump administration is issuing its toughest warning yet to Illinois officials, demanding swift action to curb spiraling violence on Chicago's transit system — or risk losing millions in federal dollars.
After months of highly publicized assaults and calls for reform, the White House is putting Gov. JB Pritzker and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson on notice: Fix the crisis on public transit or face financial consequences.
As Mattera detailed Thursday on Newsmax's "National Report," Chicago's trains have become the scene of increasingly brazen and violent attacks. The most horrifying example came just last month, when 26-year-old Bethany MaGee was doused in gasoline and set on fire by a man with 72 prior arrests.
According to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), this is not an anomaly.
Administrator Marc Molinaro, who joined Mattera for an exclusive interview, said Chicago's transit violence has reached a level the federal government can no longer ignore.
"This isn't an isolated incident in Chicago," Molinaro told Mattera. "150% increase in assaults over the last five years; five times the national average for assaults against riders; nine times the national average for assaults against operators. This is just not something that can be allowed to continue."
Molinaro issued a special directive to Illinois and the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) requiring immediate action to protect riders and CTA employees. Molinaro sent a letter Monday to Johnson and Pritzker demanding the CTA develop and implement an updated safety plan by Dec. 19.
"They have five days to develop that plan. They have five days after that to implement that plan," Molinaro told Mattera. "We want to see measurable reduction in assaults ... and we want to see that they are taking seriously their obligation and ours to provide for public safety."
The directive requires CTA to "update its public transportation safety plan" and "maintain a safe operating environment for workers and passengers."
Illinois receives substantial federal transit funding — money Molinaro said is contingent on the state providing safe conditions for passengers and operators.
"We have the potential of withholding tens of millions of dollars in their Formula A," Molinaro explained. "These are dollars that, by contract, we provide them for the operations of their system, and they agree ... that they will provide the appropriate safety oversight."
Predictably, Mattera reported, both Pritzker and Johnson have dismissed the Trump administration's order. But, as Mattera pointed out, neither has offered a concrete plan to stop riders from being attacked — or, in the most extreme recent case, set on fire — by repeat offenders with staggering criminal histories.
Their refusal sets up a showdown with the federal government, which insists it will enforce safety requirements laid out in Illinois' transit funding agreements.
By the end of next week, the Trump administration says it expects fully implemented safety reforms. If not, the FTA is prepared to pull funding.
"We should see how serious this administration is about carrying out the ultimatum," Mattera reported.
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Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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