Russell Vought, the director of the White House budget, announced Friday that the government shutdown will force the Trump administration to halt an additional $11 billion in infrastructure projects in Democratic states. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will halt development on "low priority" projects in cities like New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Baltimore, Vought announced on social media. The initiatives might eventually be terminated, he warned.
President Donald Trump, according to the White House Office of Management and Budget, "wants to reorient how the federal government prioritizes Army Corps projects."
As the president puts pressure on his congressional opponents to end the shutdown, which started on October 1, the Trump administration has already frozen at least $28 billion for energy and transportation projects in states and localities that are controlled by Democrats.
Trump has also promised to reduce "Democrat Agencies" and has attempted to fire 4,100 federal employees in an effort to hurt his political rivals.
According to OMB, the Army Corps projects include water and wastewater systems in New York City, bridge extensions in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and a coastal park in San Francisco.The $7 billion comes from projects in New York.
According to OMB, further projects in Illinois, Maryland, Oregon, New Mexico, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Delaware are also impacted.
In the 2024 presidential election, Trump lost the votes of all of these states. According to OMB, a large number of the projects are located in "sanctuary jurisdictions" that have opposed the immigration crackdown by the Trump administration. A request for comment was not immediately answered by the Army Corps.
