New York City Mayor Eric Adams pushed back on claims from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., that cuts made to the Coast Guard by the Department of Government Efficiency are somewhat to blame for the Brooklyn Bridge ship crash on Saturday.
In a Sunday afternoon post on X, Schumer said he's "fighting for answers about whether Trump and DOGE have impacted water traffic control."
"We know they've been meddling with U.S. Coast Guard staffing," Schumer wrote. "Trump relieved Admiral Linda Fagan as Commandant of the USCG, and that position is still vacant. And the hiring freeze has limited the ability for the USCG to staff up the Vehicle Traffic Service, that's their traffic control operation that acts like Air Traffic Control but on water."
"We need action for our national security, infrastructure protection, and public safety," the senator added.
During a Monday appearance on Fox 5's "Good Day New York," Adams was asked about Schumer's suggestion that the Coast Guard's response to the weekend tragedy was impacted by potential federal reductions.
Adams responded that New York City "handles crises well" and said that the Coast Guard mounted a "full response" to the Mexican navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc's collision with the bridge.
The mayor praised the efforts of "our harbor unit, NYPD unit, FDNY, our police response [and] EMS" and said he wasn't "clear on where the senator got that information from."
"So cutbacks were not an issue?" the host pressed Adams.
"Unless the senator knows something that I don't know; but I don't know what other role the Coast Guard would have played," he said. "We have the boats that were needed, we have the manpower that was needed, and we responded accordingly to get those 19 injured off the ship."
Reports indicate that the ship's steering ability was compromised by a mechanical failure which led to the accident and the deaths of Mexico navy cadets América Yamilet Sánchez, 20, and 22-year-old Adal Jair Marcos.
Shortly after Schumer's post, the Department of Homeland Security responded, rejecting his speculation and urging him to double-check his facts.
"Minority Leader Schumer's accusations that a hiring freeze led to the U.S. Coast Guard's Vessel Traffic Services not being adequately staffed are FALSE," DHS wrote. "The U.S. Coast Guard has been fully supported and been exempt from hiring freezes. Additionally, this incident had nothing to do with Vessel Traffic Services — when a ship loses propulsion in a high current area, the vessel needs to engage all capabilities to stop, and ideally, tugs are nearby to support."
"We encourage Minority Leader Schumer to get his facts straight before he misleads the American people," DHS added.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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