Administration

Trump claps back at Hochul in blame game for Long Island Railroad strike

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by Sarah Davis - 05/16/26 2:55 PM ET

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by Sarah Davis - 05/16/26 2:55 PM ET

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President Trump hit back at New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) after she faulted his administration over a railroad strike in the state.

“Failed New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, a Dumacrat, just blamed ME for her Long Island Railroad STRIKE, when she knows, full well, that I have NOTHING TO DO WITH IT – never even heard about it until this morning,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post on Saturday.

Around 3,500 Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) workers went on strike on Saturday after negotiations over a new wage agreement fell through. This is LIRR workers’ first strike in over 30 years, and the halt in services is expected to impact up to 300,000 commuters.

A group of five unions is leading the strike and calling for a 5 percent wage increase for LIRR employees. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters said in a statement that these workers have gone three years without a raise during this bargaining process.

New York’s Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) has countered with a 3 percent wage increase proposal, citing concerns that further increases could cut into city and state budgets and raise fare rates for passengers.

Hochul called the union demands “reckless” in a Saturday statement.

“These unions represent the highest paid workers of any railroad in the nation, yet they are demanding contracts that could raise fares as much as 8%, pit workers against one another, and risk tax hikes for Long Islanders. This is unacceptable,” she said.

Additionally, the Democratic governor slammed the Trump administration for the breakdown in negotiations.

“The disruption that Long Islanders face starting tonight is the direct result of reckless actions by the Trump Administration to cut mediation short and push these negotiations toward a strike,” the governor said.

“For weeks, the MTA has attempted to negotiate in good faith and put multiple fair offers on the table that included meaningful wage increases, but you cannot make a deal if one side refuses to engage in good faith,” she continued.

The governor previously criticized the National Mediation Board, an independent federal agency that facilitates labor disputes in the railroad and airline industries, amid negotiations last fall. The Board’s three members are nominated by the president.

“Make no mistake, this is a strike encouraged by Donald Trump and enabled by his allies in Washington,” she said in a statement last September. “I remain incredibly frustrated with the continued inaction and silence of Long Island’s two Republican members of Congress.”

The president has long feuded with the New York official, who is running for re-election this November. He claimed in his Saturday post that the strike would be “an easy one” for GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman to solve.

“He should be your next Governor and New York State would turn around fast, including far less Crime, and much lower taxes!!!” Trump continued. “Kathy, call me if you can’t do it, I will get it done – I know all the players, great people!!!”

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