Eric Adams Pushes Back on Schumer’s Coast Guard Cutback Claims After Brooklyn Bridge Tragedy [WATCH]

Mayor Eric Adams on Monday rejected claims made by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer that federal budget cuts to the Coast Guard may have contributed to the deadly Brooklyn Bridge ship collision over the weekend, as reported by The New York Post.

During an interview on FOX 5’s Good Day New York, Adams was asked about Schumer’s suggestion that reductions in Department of Government Expenditures (DOGE) affecting the Coast Guard could have impacted the response to Saturday’s incident involving the Mexican tall ship Cuauhtémoc.

Can you believe these clowns are blaming Trump for the Mexican sailboat hitting the Brooklyn Bridge? Chuck schumer is a jackass. @SenSchumer pic.twitter.com/4h5e1KHzZc

— David Sullivan (prosecute, fauci) (@sully40272) May 19, 2025

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Adams dismissed that notion, stating that the Coast Guard provided a “full response” and emphasized New York City’s ability to manage crises effectively.

Referencing a conversation he had at the scene with a Coast Guard member, Adams highlighted that in other regions of the country, the Coast Guard often fills in for local emergency services due to limited support.

“He said, ‘When you go to other regions to deal with Coast Guard-related issues, the Coast Guard is filling a lot of manpower. Not in New York City,’” Adams told the interviewer.

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Adams commended the response by New York’s emergency services, including the harbor unit, NYPD, FDNY, and EMS. He challenged Schumer’s assertions, stating:

“I’m not clear on where the senator got that information from, but I know we had a full response on both sides of the river, and we normally do that, we manage crises extremely well in this city.”

When pressed further about whether budget cuts were a factor in the response, Adams replied:

“Unless the senator knows something that I don’t know, but I don’t know what other role the Coast Guard would have played. We have the boats that were needed, we have the manpower that was needed, and we responded accordingly to get those 19 injured off the ship.”

The tragic collision claimed the lives of two Mexican naval cadets: 20-year-old América Yamilet Sánchez and 22-year-old Adal Jair Marcos. Eleven others were reported to be in critical condition.

Adams also shared new details about the situation on board during the crash, explaining that several sailors remained stuck in the rigging as the ship drifted backward into the 142-year-old Brooklyn Bridge.

“I was speaking to one of the crew members who was still on the boat, and they stated [that] to get up there, it takes 5 minutes roughly to climb up there. So that can give you a real indicator of how high it is,” Adams said.

Authorities have attributed the crash to a mechanical failure that disabled the ship’s steering capability.

The incident comes as Adams, who is up for re-election, continues to distance himself from key Democrats and align more closely with President Trump’s administration.

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