Posted on Monday, October 6, 2025
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by Alan Jamison
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1 Comments
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As Democrats keep the government shut down in an attempt to restore taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens, President Donald Trump and his administration are using the opportunity to end partisan left-wing projects receiving federal funding. The President had promised to use a shutdown to stop funding such projects and shrink the size of the federal bureaucracy.
As of Monday, the administration has either paused or cancelled $28 billion in federal funding.
The largest action taken so far occurred on October 1, when the Department of Transportation (DOT) paused $18 billion designated for two significant New York City projects – expanding the Hudson River tunnel and expanding the Second Avenue Subway. Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Director Russ Vought explained in a post on X that the administration is taking this action to “ensure funding is not flowing based on unconstitutional DEI principles.”
As DOT explained, the Big Apple projects “are arguably the largest infrastructure initiatives in the Western Hemisphere, and the American people want to see them completed quickly and efficiently.” But evidence has emerged that “the contracts awarded are inconsistent with civil rights laws and the Constitution because they were given based on racist DEI.”
The administration has also terminated an additional $7.5 billion for 223 green-energy projects in 16 states. “Nearly $8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left’s climate agenda is being cancelled,” Vought stated in a post on X. Affected states include California, Colorado, Minnesota, Massachusetts, and New York.
Trump explained on Truth Social last week that he was meeting with Vought on Friday to discuss additional cuts that can be made.
“I have a meeting today with Russ Vought, he of PROJECT 2025 Fame, to determine which of the many Democrat Agencies, most of which are a political SCAM, he recommends to be cut, and whether or not those cuts will be temporary or permanent,” the President said. “I can’t believe the Radical Left Democrats gave me this unprecedented opportunity.”
On Friday, Vought announced $2.1 billion “in Chicago infrastructure projects – specifically the Red Line Extension and the Red and Purple Modernization Project – have been put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting.”
In a statement, DOT explained that “Illinois, like New York, is well known to promote race- and sex-based contracting and other racial preferences as a public policy.” The agency added that “these critical reviews are intended to ensure no additional federal dollars go towards discriminatory, illegal, and wasteful contracting practices.”
During a press briefing at the start of the shutdown, Vice President JD Vance explained that the Trump administration will begin to terminate federal workers if Democrats continue to block legislation to open back up the government.
“We are going to have to lay some people off if the shutdown continues,” Vance said. “We don’t like that. We don’t necessarily want to do it. But we’re going to do what we must to keep the American people’s essential services continuing to run.”
The House has passed legislation to reopen the government, but a majority of Democrats in the Senate continue to block the bill. The legislation needs 60 votes to pass the Senate.
As a price for reopening the government, Senate Democrats are demanding that Republicans repeal provisions from the One Big Beautiful Bill passed earlier this year banning taxpayer-funded benefits for illegal aliens and implementing Medicaid reforms, including a modest work requirement of 20 hours per week for able-bodied adults.
So far, three Senate Democrats have broken with Schumer and voted to reopen the government. At least five more will need to cross the aisle to break the 60-vote threshold.
Alan Jamison is the pen name of a political writer with extensive experience writing for several notable politicians and news outlets.
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