Trump administration freezes $18 billion in infrastructure funding to New York, home of Schumer and Jeffries
Washington — The Trump administration is freezing roughly $18 billion in federal funding for key New York City infrastructure projects, Russ Vought, head of the White House Office of Management and Budget, announced on social media on the first day of the government shutdown.
Although Vought didn’t mention Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer or House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, New York is home to both Democratic leaders, and Republicans have been placing full blame with them for the shutdown. Specifically, Vought said work on the Hudson Tunnel Project and Second Avenue Subway will be stopped.
Vought said the funds will be “put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing based on unconstitutional DEI principles.” He said the Department of Transportation would be announcing more details soon. DEI refers to “diversity, equity and inclusion” policies, which have been top targets of the Trump administration.
New York City voters also lean heavily Democratic.
Schumer and Jeffries have yet to respond to the infrastructure funding freeze news.
The Senate failed late Tuesday to approve legislation to keep the government funding through Nov. 21, sending the country into a government shutdown at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday.
The Hudson Tunnel Project is a decadelong effort to build a new two-tube rail tunnel under the Hudson River and rehab the existing North River Tunnels for Amtrak and NJ Transit traffic on the Northeast Corridor, the busiest Amtrak region in the country. The Second Avenue Subway project, which is currently in its second phase, aims to extend the Q subway line into East Harlem and Harlem, as well as add new stations.
