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Facts test Chuck Schumer on the coast guard, Brooklyn Bridge Crash

Facts test Chuck Schumer on the coast guard, Brooklyn Bridge Crash

by

Maria Ramirez Uribe
| Politifact.com

Senator Chuck Schumer, DN.Y., asked questions about the staff of the US Coast Guard after a Mexican naval ship fell against Brooklyn Bridge in New York on May 17, injured two killings and dozens.

“I fight for answers as to whether Trump and Doge have had the water traffic control on the water traffic control,” Schumer published on May 18 on X. Doge is a reference to the government's efficiency, which has made efforts to reduce government expenditure.

Schumer's post continued: “We know that they interfered in the occupation of the coast guard … and the offer of attitudes has restricted the ability of the USCG to fill the vehicle traffic service.”

The National Transportation Safety Board still examines the crash, so that its cause was not set. It also remains unclear what role the coast guard or your shipping service could have played to prevent the crash.

The Department of Homeland Security responded to X on Schumers X Post and called his comments “wrong”. The post said that the coast guard was freed from the cessation of freezing, and the incident “has nothing to do with shipping services – if a ship loses the drive in a high current area, the ship must include all the skills to stop, and ideally near Tugs are nearby to support them.”

When contacting a comment, Angelo Roefaro, a Schumer spokesman, denied the DHS declaration about the liberation of the coast guard by setting freezing. Roefaro said that freezing the DHS setting “limited the ability of the coast guard to rent a large number of critical positions”.

According to a press conference of the National Transportation Safety Board on May 20, the 300-foot ship sailed with 277 people on board towards the Brooklyn Bridge instead of her and accelerated the other way around before reaching the bridge. The Cuauhtémoc was on a global goodwill tour and made its way to Reykjavík, Iceland, for its next stop. The ship left Pier 17, where it was docked, and sailed south and stopped in Brooklyn to recharge it, the New York Times reported.

The coast guard announced Politifact that the agency followed the procedure in order to “manage commercial traffic and to facilitate safe navigation”. It found that a crew of her New York stop after the crash set up a temporary security zone.

Retired civil servants in retirement told us that it is unlikely that the staff of the coast guard played a role in the crash.

What is changing when filling the US Coast Guard?

On his second day of office, the Trump government removed ADM. Linda Fagan from her position as commander of the US Coast Guard. Since then, ADM. Kevin Lunday served as acting commander. On May 21, the secretary of the Homeland protection authority Kristi NoEM announced the official nomination of Lunday's official nomination for the position that requires confirmation of the US Senate after the crash of Homeland Security.

On January 20, the US Office of Management and Budget released a memo in which the State Settings Ordinance of Trump was published in detail about Trump's state hiring command instructions. Omb said that the coast guard was freed from freezing.

On April 3., however, NoEM dedicated the agency to reduce at least 25% as part of the initiative of the Coast Guard's Force Design 2028 by January 1, 2026.

A spokesman for the coast guard told Polifact to decide to eliminate “redundant executive supervision” and to optimize decision -making processes.

The speaker did not answer any questions about how many positions were removed.

What plays the role of the coast guard in maritime security?

The coast guard plays several roles to ensure the safety of humans and ships, said Peter Boynton, a captain of the coast guard in retirement and professor at Northeastern University.

For example, the coast guard for the placement of AIDS – such as buoys or Poland – is responsible for showing navigators safe channels in the water. The agency is also responsible for the operation of the shipping services that used the radars, cameras and transponders to follow where there are boats and whether they are in the right channel, similar to air traffic control.

Boynton said that the shipping service center is usually monitored by a captain of the coast guard, a position under the flag officer, and occupied by junior officers or applicants. It is unclear whether the personnel changes of the coast guard have affected the staff of the shipping service.

The coast guard also monitors port safety and inspects the ships, facilities and the registration information from people to ensure that they have adequate licenses for the operation of the vehicles.

Each sector has an officer of the coast guard, which serves as Port Captain, said Boynton. This person has “a considerable federal authority on the movement of the ships and the operation of institutions”.

After a crash, the coast guard plays a search and rescue roll, said Boynton and creates a security zone around the ship.

Could the coast guard staff have influenced the crash?

Boynton said the investigation could determine whether the command center of the ship and the coast guard was properly occupied and whether a call received a timely answer to help.

A spokesman for the coast guard informed Politifact that the New York shipping service was “fully functional during the incident and was operated in accordance with the specified procedures for the management of commercial traffic and to facilitate safe navigation”.

Based on the available information, it did not seem to prevent personnel changes from the incident based on available information. He said that the shipping service usually does not treat ship navigation on this small scale if the ship only has a short distance from Pier to channel. The shipping service would have alerted the ship if, for example, there was another ship near it.

The shipping service had “great success in preventing accidents, but I am not sure whether they could have played a role in this case,” said Boynton. He said that the ship operators had a clear visibility of the bridge and knew about tidal flows.

Sam Coonan, former officer of the coast guard and emergency management professor of the Maritime Academy Massachusetts Maritime Academy. She said that several factors, including the budget of the coast guard, have an impact on the personnel service of the ship. But she said it was “very unlikely” that the staff played a role and quoted the failure of the ship engine.

She said that the shipping service had followed the movements of the ship and made information and navigation advice available to the ship.

But the shipping service “cannot control a ship, especially a foreign naval ship, and do not override the decisions of a captain or pilot,” said Coonan. “It was developed to improve situation awareness and reduce collision risks and not to serve as a remote driver.”

Boynton said, based on available information, the factors that probably played a role in the accident were “the ship, the role of the tractor (boat), the role of the (port) pilot, in the event of one and especially the effect of this (river) against the bridge and what happened with the (ship) engine, so close to the bridge.” He said it seems that the engine could be in reverse.

Seuers show a tractor near the ship when it fell into the Brooklyn Bridge. There are questions about what role the tractor played in the pier with the support of the ship.

Our sources

  • Senator Chuck Schumer, X Post, May 18, 2025
  • The Senate Democrats after the strike in Brooklyn Bridge Bridge, Leader Schumer: Trump Administration has to answer because they interfere with the occupation of US Count Guard. The guide calls for the potential effects of Doge on shipping control and the entire USCG operation to protect all bridges and waterways across the country
  • US Department of Homeland Security, X Post, May 18, 2025
  • National Road Safety Authority, Mexican Marine Tall Ship Cuauhtemoc Strike with the Brooklyn Bridge, May 20, 2025
  • The White House, Setting Freeze, January 20, 2025
  • US Coast Guard, Coast Guard Force Design 2028, April 3, 2025
  • US Coast Guard Navigation Center, Ship Traffic Services, accessed May 22, 2025 on May 22nd, 2025
  • The Maritime Manager, Report: USCG to reduce the flag rank as part of Force Design, May 16, 2025
  • Seapower Magazine, Coast Guard, to reduce Flag officer positions by 25%, May 16, 2025
  • The news from the US Naval Institute, the Coast Guard is preparing to cut up to 12 flags by 2026
  • AP news, turbulent waters may have contributed to the crash of Mexican Tall Ships into Brooklyn Bridge on May 18, 2025
  • AP News, Trump fires the heads of the TSA, the coast guard and the intestine of the key aviation Safety Advisory Committee, January 21, 2025
  • The New York Times, Mexican ship in a fatal crash accelerated before he met the Brooklyn Bridge on May 19, 2025
  • The New York Times, Mexican naval ship falls against the Brooklyn Bridge and kills 2 crew members on May 17, 2025
  • CNN, 'It works backwards': Ret. USCG Captain Details ship mechanic before the crash,
  • CNN, source, announces CNN, which may have led to the crash of the Mexican naval ship into the Brooklyn Bridge,
  • Virginia Mercury, fire brigade commander of the coast guard, serves a regressive social agenda on January 30, 2025
  • Government director of the coast guard, which was released by new DHS officials on January 21, 2025
  • NBC News, Trump Administration learns the former leader of the coast guard from her house with 3 hours, February 5, 2025
  • ABC News, here are all federal authorities in which employees are released on February 24, 2025
  • Telephone interview, Peter Boynton, former officer and professor of the coast guard at Northheastern University, May 21, 2025
  • E -Mail interview, Sam Coonan, former officer and emergency management professor, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, May 22, 2025
  • E -mail declaration, spokesman for the Ministry of Homeland Protection, May 19, 2025
  • E -Mail declaration, Angelo Roefaro, Senator Chuck Schumer speaker, May 19, 2025
  • E -mail declaration, spokesman for the US Coast Guard, May 20, 2025

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