Democratic lawmakers are questioning President Donald Trump’s decision to suspend funding to hundreds of infrastructure projects across the country.
In a slew of executive orders signed upon taking the oath of office Monday, Trump halted all funding to current and future projects funded under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, and the Inflation Reduction Act. The pause on disbursing funds appropriated through these laws is laid out in a section of Trump’s broader executive order on “Unleashing American Energy,” titled “Terminating the Green New Deal.”
Rep. Greg Stanton (D-AZ), in a letter to the Transportation Department, said he is seeking “immediate clarification” of the order.
“If taken at face value, the broad language in this order would withhold federal funding for critical infrastructure projects already underway in states across the country,” Stanton wrote, noting key projects affecting his Phoenix-area congressional district.
“We cannot let the stroke of a pen undo years of bipartisan work to better America’s infrastructure,” Stanton wrote. “Federal agencies and state and local leaders need immediate clarification.”
I'm seeking immediate clarification from @USDOT on Trump's executive order withholding Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funds.
— Rep. Greg Stanton (@RepGregStanton) January 22, 2025
These are dollars Arizona is counting on for our roads and highways, airports and water infrastructure. pic.twitter.com/DsM7VX3sVc
In 2021, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law passed 228-206 in the House and 69-30 in the Senate. It was negotiated for months between both parties.
According to a Politico report, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and other high-ranking House Democrats held a private call Tuesday with more than 100 people, including leaders of outside groups, to discuss government funding strategy and how to stop Trump from violating Congress’s “power of the purse.”
The call marked Democratic leadership’s first action in coordinating a united front against what they see as the Trump administration’s violation of impoundment control, a law meant to block presidents from withholding money that Congress had previously passed.
Democrats are additionally planning messaging strategies to counter Trump’s orders to freeze funding. Some Democrats have highlighted the ways people could be hurt by the president’s action.
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“The President spent his first day in office stealing from American taxpayers,” Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), the House’s top Democratic appropriator, said in a statement Tuesday night. “In the coming weeks, I will be focused on sharing with the American people the direct consequences of undercutting these investments.”
“Buried in the flurry of Executive Orders last night is one that halts all funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law,” Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) wrote on social media. “Yes, the law that Republicans and Democrats came together to pass that fixes our roads, modernizes old bridges, and makes drinking water safer.”