U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced Wednesday that his department is taking management of Union Station, the main transportation hub in Washington, away from Amtrak, in another example of how the federal government is exerting its power over the nation's capital.

Duffy made the announcement in a statement before he joined Amtrak President Roger Harris at Union Station for the launch of the NextGen Acela, the rail service's new high-speed train.

The secretary said Union Station, located within walking distance of the U.S. Capitol, had been "neglected for decades, and it's showing its age."

Promising investments, Duffy said "we want to make this place beautiful and the premier train station not just in America, but the premier train station in the world."

Duffy's words echoed President Donald Trump, who said last week he wants $2 billion from Congress to beautify Washington as part of his crackdown on the city.

The Republican president has sent thousands of National Guard troops and federal law enforcement officials into Washington in a bid to fight violent crime he claimed had strangled the city.

Local police department statistics show violent crime in Washington has declined in recent years, but Trump has countered, without offering evidence, that the numbers were fudged.

National Guard troops have been on patrol inside and outside of Union Station after Trump launched the anti-crime effort earlier this month.