Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has pledged to block any attempts to rename New York City’s Penn Station after former President Donald Trump, reaffirming his opposition this week amid ongoing federal involvement in the transit hub’s renovation.
Schumer, a Democrat from New York, declared that any surface transportation legislation seeking to rename the iconic station “Trump Station” would be stalled in the Senate. He emphasized the point Sunday, stating that no matter the vehicle—a standalone measure, an amendment, or a provision buried deep within a transportation bill—the effort would not advance without Democratic support. “Hijacking this bill for a Trump vanity project is a non-starter,” Schumer said.
The dispute follows a July letter from Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy to leaders of three Senate committees, identifying it as an “administration priority” to have Amtrak rename New York Penn Station. Duffy declined to specify a proposed name, but earlier had suggested that “Trump Station” had “a nice ring to it.” This interest in renaming came months before President Trump reportedly offered to restore withheld funding for a new tunnel project into Penn Station, conditional on Schumer agreeing to rename the station in Trump’s honor. Ultimately, the funding was restored by a court order.
Penn Station, owned by Amtrak and serving Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Long Island Rail Road, is the busiest rail hub in the United States. Renovations and improvements long in planning have encountered political and administrative challenges. In April 2025, amid tension over New York State’s congestion pricing program, the federal Department of Transportation took over the project from the MTA. At that time, Duffy said the federal intervention would ensure “every dollar is spent wisely to create a transit hub all Americans can take pride in.”
Since then, Amtrak has released an ambitious $7 billion to $8 billion plan to rebuild the station. Asked about the possible renaming, New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who supported the federal takeover and the unlocking of more than $1 billion in state funds, declined to weigh in. “The last I checked, names go on when a project is done,” she said. “Let’s get the project done.”
The debate over the station’s name has thus become intertwined with larger questions about funding, federal oversight, and the future of one of the nation’s most critical transit facilities. Schumer’s firm stance suggests that any renaming proposal faces significant hurdles in the Senate, even as the renovation effort moves forward.