He missed the boat on this one.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) on Sunday bizarrely suggested that DOGE cuts to the US Coast Guard could have been partly to blame for a Mexican tall ship’s deadly collision with the Brooklyn Bridge.
“We know there has been meddling by the Trump administration into USCG staffing, and we need to know how this might have impacted the events of last night — from a command, communication and local coordination level,” the embattled Dem said in a press release.
“There are indications that this service [Vehicle Traffic System] may not be fully or adequately functional in light of a hiring freeze,” he said — referring to what he described as the Coast Guard’s “FAA-like traffic control operation.”
“If this were the case, the Brooklyn Bridge accident would be a national harbinger, demanding immediate attention,” the pol said.
But there were no reports of any other ship being involved in any way in Saturday’s tragedy.
Sources have said the Mexican sailing ship Cuauhtemoc struck the bridge because a mechanical failure shut down its steering, leaving it at the mercy of East River currents that pulled the vessel into the historic bridge, killing two navy cadets and injuring at least 17 others.
In a press release Sunday, the Coast Guard also said it responded to the scene of the deadly collision immediately upon being notified, in keeping with its designated mission.
“Sector New York immediately launched a crew from Coast Guard Station New York to the scene and established a safety zone from the Brooklyn Bridge to the Manhattan Bridge,” the release said. “New York Vessel Traffic Services suspended commercial traffic in the area.”
President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency, headed by billionaire Elon Musk, has trimmed staffing and budgets across a slew of agencies since being formed earlier this year.
The cuts included the Coast Guard, which eliminated its Logistics Information Management System, which was supposed to manage configuration, maintenance, supply chain and technical data.
The cutting of the system, which was deemed ineffective, saved the agency more than $32 million.
There has been no indication from the Coast Guard that the move has hampered its operations.
Schumer has been battling dismal recent poll numbers, taking heat for everything from supporting a President Trump-backed budget bill to refusing to answer some questions about Dem then-President Joe Biden’s mental decline while in office.
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