President Donald Trump’s administration announced Wednesday that $18 billion in infrastructure projects in New York City will be put on hold due to Democrats’ shutdown of the government.
“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,” Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought wrote, adding that the government would put on hold the Hudson Tunnel Project as well as the Second Ave Subway.
The Department of Transportation released a statement, noting that the Department has issued an interim final rule that bars race- and sex-based contracting requirements for federal grants:
Secretary Duffy’s position on the DBE program is clear – subsidizing infrastructure contracts with taxpayer dollars based on discriminatory principles is unconstitutional, counter to civil rights laws, and a waste of taxpayer resources.
USDOT issued letters to New York to inform them that their two mega projects – the 2nd Avenue Subway and Hudson Tunnel – are under administrative review to determine whether any unconstitutional practices are occurring.
The Department is focusing on these projects because they are arguably the largest infrastructure initiatives in the Western Hemisphere, and the American people want to see them completed quickly and efficiently.
Until USDOT’s quick administrative review is complete, project reimbursements cannot be processed, including a $300 million disbursement for the 2nd Avenue Subway. The remaining federal funding for these projects totals nearly $18 billion.
However, due to the Democrats’ strategy to shutdown the government, they cannot review the project. The Transportation Department statement continued, “Thanks to the Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jefferies shutdown, however, USDOT’s review of New York’s unconstitutional practices will take more time. Without a budget, the Department has been forced to furlough the civil rights staff responsible for conducting this review.”
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The statement concluded, “This is another unfortunate casualty of radical Democrats’ reckless decision to hold the federal government hostage to give illegal immigrants benefits.”
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