House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, both from New York City, speak to reporters outside the White House Monday after meeting with Republican Leadership and US President Donald Trump. Trump has now frozen $18 billion in infrastructure funding for projects in New York.
JIM WATSON/AFP
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JIM WATSON/AFP
The Trump administration’s decision to halt $18 billion in infrastructure funding aimed at New York City marks a significant development amid the ongoing federal government shutdown. This freezing of funds impacts key projects in the city, home to influential Democratic figures like Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who are central to the budget conflict with the White House.
According to Russell Vought, head of the federal Office of Management and Budget, the funds have been paused to prevent their use under “unconstitutional DEI principles.” In his post on X, Vought emphasized this reasoning behind the suspension.
The U.S. Department of Transportation has also tied this federal review to the shutdown, indicating that further examination of New York’s practices will be delayed due to the budget stalemate. An immediate consequence is the effect on the $300 million funding for New York’s Second Avenue subway project.
The withheld $18 billion targets two major transit projects. The first is a rail tunnel under the Hudson River, a project of high priority for Schumer and previously supported by former President Joe Biden. The second project is the Second Avenue line’s expansion within the New York City subway.
New York’s Democratic leaders, including Schumer and Jeffries, have rejected the Trump administration’s claims, arguing that the shutdown is not due to their actions. Schumer commented on X, “Republicans JUST VOTED DOWN our bill to avoid a government shutdown at midnight and address the healthcare needs of the American people,” criticizing their approach.
Governor Kathy Hochul echoed similar sentiments in a press conference, attributing the shutdown to the Republican leadership and predicting widespread repercussions. She dismissed the administration’s justification regarding DEI as a “culture war” tactic.
In a statement condemning the funding freeze, Hochul stated, “We’ve done our part, we’re ready to build, it’s underway.”
This situation isn’t unprecedented. During his first term, Trump also threatened to block funding for a long-delayed rail tunnel under the Hudson River. Recently, he stated his willingness to cut off federal funds for New York City if state Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani becomes mayor, due to Mamdani’s political stance.
Trump posted on his social media platform, “Remember, he needs the money from me, as President, in order to fulfill all of his FAKE Communist promises.” Despite this, Mamdani, a Democratic Socialists of America member, is not a communist and continues to lead the mayoral race against independent Andrew Cuomo and Republican Curtis Sliwa.
In response to the shutdown, Mamdani criticized the Trump administration’s motives, asserting that it is driven by a desire to strip healthcare from millions while benefiting billionaires.
This article was originally written by www.npr.org
