President Trump has reportedly insisted that he would release $16 billion in withheld infrastructure funds unless Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) agreed to rename New York City’s Penn Station and Washington’s Dulles International Airport after him.
Axios, citing input from an unnamed “source familiar with the talks,” reports the White House has frozen the congressionally authorized $16 billion in funds for the Gateway Tunnel Project connecting New York to New Jersey. Schumer rejected Trump’s proposal.
Since returning to the White House, the president has stamped his name on two Washington buildings – the US Institute of Peace and the Kennedy Center – and also had his name tied to social programs including the “Trump Accounts” baby bond program and the TrumpRx prescription drug initiative.
While neither Trump nor Schumer publicly commented on the report, Axios noted Democrat lawmakers representing New York and New Jersey condemned the president’s demands. Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) declared that “Trump is pathologically petty and cannot be trusted to keep his word” while Rep. Rob Menendez (D-NJ) quipped “So the President wants us to rename it TACO Station?”, a reference to the “Trump Always Chickens Out” slogan. Menendez added the states are suing to release the funds and will “win in court.”
