Trump exploits shutdown to punish states that backed Harris
The Trump administration is cutting federal funds to projects in Democratic states, aiming to “get rid” of billions of dollars meant for energy and infrastructure in the midst of a government shutdown.
The cuts, totaling billions of dollars, affect states such as California, New York and Minnesota, as well as thirteen others. All of the states targeted backed former Vice President Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. The states in question also have Democratic governors, save for Vermont and New Hampshire.
Russ Vought, director of Office Management and Budget, announced the cuts Wednesday, calling the projects part of the “Green New Scam” and “the Left’s climate agenda.”
The move is in line with prior statements from President Donald Trump, who said the shutdown could bring “a lot of good.”
“We can get rid of a lot of things we didn’t want,” Trump told reporters on Tuesday. “And they’d be Democratic things.”
Vought also announced that the Trump administration would be withholding $18 billion for New York City’s Second Avenue subway and Gateway tunnel projects. A New York representative called it “political revenge.”
“Clearly outlined by Trump, time and again,” Rep. George Latimer, D-N.Y., told Politico. “As he has said many times, he hates his enemies; he is the retribution. Has he announced any rescission of any projects in Florida or Texas?”
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Speaker of the House Mike Johnson defended the actions of Trump and his administration, saying he had been given “the keys to the kingdom.”
“When they are tasked with determining what the priorities are, obviously they are going to follow their principles and priorities and not the other team,” Johnson told reporters on Thursday. “That’s the results of an election that everyone voted in.”
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