Trump pauses $2.1 billion for Chicago infrastructure initiatives, leveraging shutdown to stress Democrats

White House funds director Russ Vought stated the Trump administration will withhold $2.1 billion for Chicago infrastructure initiatives, increasing funding fights which have focused Democratic areas throughout the federal government shutdown.

The pause impacts a long-awaited plan to increase town’s Red Line prepare. Vought wrote on social media Friday that the cash was “placed on maintain to make sure funding isn’t flowing through race-based contracting.”

Mr. Vought made an analogous announcement earlier this week involving New York, the place he stated $18 billion for infrastructure could be paused, together with funding for a brand new rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River.

Losing the cash could be a major setback for Chicago’s transportation plans. The Red Line extension is slated so as to add 4 prepare stops on town’s South Side, enhancing entry for deprived communities.

In addition, a broader modernisation mission for the Red and Purple strains, which Vought stated was additionally being focused, is meant to improve stations and take away a bottleneck the place completely different strains intersect.

In New York’s case, Mr. Trump’s Transportation Department stated it had been reviewing whether or not any “unconstitutional practices” have been occurring within the two large infrastructure initiatives, however that the federal government shutdown, which started Wednesday (October 1), had pressured it to furlough the staffers conducting the overview.

The suspension of funds is probably going meant to focus on Senate Democratic chief Chuck Schumer of New York, whom the White House is blaming for the deadlock. He stated the funding freeze would hurt commuters.

“Obstructing these initiatives is silly and counterproductive as a result of they create tens of hundreds of nice jobs and are important for a robust regional and nationwide financial system,” Mr. Schumer stated on X.