Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy is under fire for claiming credit for new Amtrak trains, as well as funding and improvements, all of which came from President Joe Biden’s landmark bipartisan infrastructure law — the nation’s largest infrastructure investment in more than half a century.

“Announcing the NextGen Acela!” Secretary Duffy declared on Wednesday. He touted the “brand new beautiful trains” delivered by U.S. DOT and Amtrak that will, he wrote, “increase reliability,” “lower ticket costs,” and “improve Amtrak profitability.”

“This is all part of @POTUS’ vision to Make Travel Great again,” Duffy claimed.

READ MORE: Trump Orders Death Penalty for All D.C. Homicides, Defying Long Ban

But several critics were quick to point to President Joe Biden’s Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) that was signed into law in November 2021.

CNN senior reporter Edward-Isaac Dovere wrote: “as detailed on the Amtrak website, the improvements that Secretary Duffy says are all part of Trump’s ‘vision to Make Travel Great again’ are in fact from the Biden-signed bipartisan infrastructure act, and which were underway long before Trump took office again in January.”

The “information about the source of the funding for the ‘new era of rail’ — a priority for famously Amtrak-loving Biden — is up on the Amtrak site here,” he noted, pointing to this Amtrak website, which reads:

“This is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for Amtrak and passenger rail to play a central role in improving how people move and securing our economic future. This historic legislation provides $66 billion for rail, including: $22 billion directly to Amtrak over five years to repair or replace aging assets, modernize our fleet, improve station accessibility, and other capital projects and purposes defined under the law.”

READ MORE: ‘Frogs in a Boiling Pot’: Trump Blasted After Again Insisting ‘I’m Not a Dictator’

Also, Amtrak noted, “$44 billion for Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) discretionary grants to support various improvements to passenger and freight railroads.”

Others also blasted the DOT chief.

“Sean Duffy, surprising absolutely no one, taking credit for something brought to you in large part by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, signed by President Biden,” charged former chief Pentagon spokesperson Chris Meagher.

Watch the video below or at this link.

Announcing the NextGen Acela!

These are brand new beautiful trains delivered by @USDOT and @Amtrak will:

-increase reliability
-lower ticket costs
-improve Amtrak profitability

This is all part of @POTUS’ vision to Make Travel Great again 🚄 pic.twitter.com/fdKYadooxM

— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) August 27, 2025

RELATED: Trump Expands D.C. Occupation, Will Seize Control of Union Station Operations

Image via Shutterstock

In a further expansion of its occupation of the District of Columbia, the Trump administration announced it will take control of operations at Washington, D.C.’s historic Union Station, citing crime and homelessness as justification. Crime in the nation’s capital fell by double digits last year, and dropped by double digits again this year.

“We’re gonna take it back, and we’re gonna drive out the homelessness,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy told Fox News on Wednesday. “We’re gonna drive out the crime.”

“And we are going to, I think, bring in more retailers, I think more customers. It’ll be better revenue,” he said.

“And again, this is our capital city. It should be beautiful, and the president wants a beautiful capital. I want a beautiful capital. And so, this plan is gonna make Union Station represent the president’s vision of what America can and should look like.”

READ MORE: Trump Orders Death Penalty for All D.C. Homicides, Defying Long Ban

The Department of Transportation owns Union Station, but will now exercise more control. Secretary Duffy “said it will involve a cooperative agreement with the nonprofit Union Station Redevelopment Corp., which controls the station, and Amtrak, which leases space from the USRC,” The Washington Post reported.

“I think the president has been pretty clear on what he wants for Union Station, for American travel, for travel,” Duffy said at an Amtrak event on Wednesday. “He wants Union Station to be beautiful again. He wants transit to be safe again, and he wants our nation’s capital to be great again.”

READ MORE: ‘Frogs in a Boiling Pot’: Trump Blasted After Again Insisting ‘I’m Not a Dictator’

Axios added that “Union Station has been a focal point for the Trump administration’s military deployment in D.C. Top members of the Trump administration — including Vice President Vance — bashed the station’s management and cast it as crime-ridden at an Aug. 20 press conference.”

Earlier this month, Fox News reported that “about seven National Guard Humvees and other military vehicles, and around 25 to 30 troops, stood guard outside D.C.’s Union Station.”

The Department of Transportation has also wrested control of the renovations of New York City’s Penn Station. Some news reports earlier this year have suggested that Penn Station’s name might be changed and named for President Donald Trump.

Watch the video below or at this link.

Live: Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy joins Amtrak President Roger Harris in Washington, D.C., for the launch of the company’s new high-speed NextGen Acela train. MORE: https://t.co/AuurEXoZTP https://t.co/ffr24H7vDv

— NewsNation (@NewsNation) August 27, 2025

READ MORE: ‘Communist Policies’: Commerce Chief Under Fire for Government Ownership Plan

In 1962, Congress abolished the mandatory death penalty for Washington, D.C. One decade later, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down existing death penalty laws nationwide, forcing states to rewrite their laws. In 1976, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down mandatory death penalty laws. Five years later, Washington, D.C. formally rescinded its death penalty law. In 1992, D.C. voters rejected Congress’ attempt to bring back the death penalty.

Now, President Donald Trump says he is not only bringing back the death penalty for Washington, D.C. murder cases, but also making all murder cases capital punishment cases — directing prosecutors to seek the death penalty in each one.

“Anybody murders something in the capital, capital punishment. Capital, capital punishment,” Trump declared on Tuesday (video below) during his Cabinet meeting. “If somebody kills somebody in the capital, Washington, D.C., we’re going to be seeking the death penalty.”

READ MORE: ‘Frogs in a Boiling Pot’: Trump Blasted After Again Insisting ‘I’m Not a Dictator’

“And that’s a very strong preventative, and everybody that’s heard it agrees with it,” Trump said.

Multiple studies show that capital punishment is not an effective deterrent to murder.

“I don’t know if we’re ready for it in this country, but when you have it, we have no choice,” Trump declared. “So in D.C. and Washington, states are going to have to make their own decision.”

Unlike in other jurisdictions, where state and local prosecutors prosecute violations of the law, violations of local Washington, D.C. ordinances are prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. D.C. does not currently have a death penalty ordinance.

READ MORE: ‘Communist Policies’: Commerce Chief Under Fire for Government Ownership Plan

Trump’s announcement comes just one day after he declared that anyone who burns an American flag will be prosecuted and the government will seek a prison sentence, despite the U.S. Supreme Court having ruled that burning the flag is a protected First Amendment right.

Last week, the Pentagon authorized National Guard troops patrolling the streets of D.C. to carry firearms.

Watch the video below or at this link.

Trump: “Anybody murders something in the capital — capital punishment. Capital, capital punishment. If somebody kills somebody in the capital — Washington DC — we’re going to be seeking the death penalty.” pic.twitter.com/zDbQb2IGI7

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) August 26, 2025

READ MORE: ‘Cozying Up to Putin’: VP Scorched for Russia-Promoting Rewrite of World Wars

Image via Reuters