Trump freezes $18 billion in funding for NYC, home to key Democratic leaders : NPR
The minority head of the Hakeem Jeffries room and the minority chief of the Senate Chuck Schumer, both in New York, speak of journalists outside the White House on Monday after meeting republican management and American president Donald Trump. Trump has now frozen $ 18 billion in infrastructure funding for projects in New York.
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On the first day of closure of the federal government, the Trump administration dismissed a financial salvo in New York, which houses the senate chief of the Senate, Senator Chuck Schumer and the chief of the Hakeem Jeffries room by freeing $ 18 billion in infrastructure dollars provided by the Congress. Schumer and Jeffries are key democrats from the budget dispute with the White House.
“About $ 18 billion in New York infrastructure projects have been suspended to ensure that funding does not circulate according to unconstitutional Dei principles,” said Russell Vought, head of the Federal Management and Budget Office, in a position on X.
In a separate article, the American Ministry of Transport explicitly linked the Federal Review to the closure, claiming: “USDOT examination of New York’s unconstitutional practices will take more time” due to the budgetary dead end. Officials said that an disbursement of $ 300 million in funding for the Metro project on the second avenue de New York would be immediately affected.
The reduction of $ 18 billion targets money for two major transport projects. One is the construction of a rail tunnel under the Hudson river between New York and New Jersey, which is bought in the next decade. It’s a Priority for Schumer And was supported by former president Joe Biden. The second is the second avenue project in the New York metro system.
Schumer, Jeffries and other Democratic leaders in New York rejected the affirmation of the Trump administration that the federal closure is caused by Democratic legislators.
“The Republicans have just passed our bill to avoid a government closure at midnight and meet the health care needs of the American people,” Schumer wrote on X in the hours preceding the closure. “Republicans immerse us in a government closure rather than repairing their health crisis.”
At a press conference on Wednesday, Governor Kathy Hochul, a democrat, also blamed Trump’s closure and republican leaders. “They hold all the levers of power,” said Hochul, while predicting that closing would inflict “pain on millions of Americans”. Hochul also rejected the affirmation of the administration that the cuts in New York projects are linked to Dei, saying that she was trying to use “cultural wars” as reason.
In a statement, Hochul also condemned the freezing of dollars of infrastructure: “We have done our part, we are ready to build, it is in progress,” said Hochul
This is not the first time that Trump has opposed the financing of massive infrastructure projects in New York. During his first mandate, Trump threatened with veto on funding for an expensive rail tunnel for a long time under the Hudson river.
Trump has also threatened with funding for New York to apply political pressure on Democratic leaders and influence New York policy. This week, he said that he would cut all federal dollars for the city if the voters elect the deputy for the Zohran Mamdani State as mayor.
“Remember, he needs money on my part, as president, in order to make all his false communist promises,” Trump posted on his social media platform. “He will not get it, so what is the point of voting for him?”
Mamdani is not a communist. The State Assembly, a member of the American Democratic Socialists, led the town hall race for months. He is currently facing independent Andrew Cuomo and the Republican Curtis Sliwa. The current mayor, Eric Adams, abandoned the competition on Sunday. The polls show Mamdani as the favorite.
In an article on X, Mamdani also castigated Trump on the closure of the federal government. “They closed it because they are determined to go beyond the health care of millions of Americans, to enrich the billionaires they serve, to continue the assault against our rights,” he wrote.
