On the first day of a federal government shutdown, New York City is finding out how expensive its commitment to leftist principles of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” is going to be under President Donald Trump’s administration.
Russ Vought, the White House Office of Management and Budget director, took to social media on Wednesday to announce the administration has frozen federal funding for two major transportation projects in the Big Apple.
And even in New York City, $18 billion is a lot of money.
Roughly $18 billion in New York City infrastructure projects have been put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing based on unconstitutional DEI principles. More info to come soon from @USDOT.
— Russ Vought (@russvought) October 1, 2025
“Roughly $18 billion in New York City infrastructure projects have been put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing based on unconstitutional DEI principles,” Vought wrote in a post on the social media platform X.
“More info to come soon.”
Specifically, he noted in a follow-up post, the money is for a new tunnel to carry passenger rail service under the Hudson River, the Hudson Tunnel Project, and a subway expansion project, known as the Second Avenue Subway.
Reporting on Vought’s announcement, the Associated Press raised the possibility that the target wasn’t just New York’s DEI positions, but Sen. Chuck Schumer, the New York Democrat and Senate minority leader whose party has shut down the government in a funding impasse.
For Schumer, the Hudson Tunnel Project has been a priority for years, as Politico reported in 2023. At the time, Schumer locked in a $6.88 billion federal grant for the project. It was a move Schumer admitted was in anticipation of the possibility that Trump won the 2024 election and Republicans won a Senate majority.
(As it turned out, both things happened.)
And, as CBS News noted, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, who has gone to considerable lengths to try to slow the Trump agenda, is also a New York lawmaker, representing a Brooklyn district.
There’s almost certainly an element of shutdown politics in Vought’s decision. The timing alone makes that clear — painfully clear to New York Democrats.
And that’s the way it was taken by many on social media.
Both by those in favor of the move:
ah, well congrats Chuck Schumer
— Nick (@Nickster0188) October 1, 2025
Feel the burn!
— Cheryl M (@Vintage56inVA) October 1, 2025
Winning
— Dave Slick (@dave_slick3) October 1, 2025
And those against it:
This was predictable and is exactly why the Republicans wanted this shutdown.
Vought and Trump will use their unchecked power to spend, cut, leverage, slash, eliminate, harm, fire and downsize any and everything they don’t like.
A big FU to Congress and the American people.— Dede Kotler (@Dsquared306) October 1, 2025
“This was predictable and is exactly why the Republicans wanted this shutdown,” one evident liberal wrote.
“Vought and Trump will use their unchecked power to spend, cut, leverage, slash, eliminate, harm, fire and downsize any and everything they don’t like.”
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