President Donald Trump is using the government shutdown to cut another blue-state project that the administration says is not aligned with its priorities.
The Department of Transportation sent letters to the Chicago Transit Authority to inform it that two projects—the CTA Red Line Extension and the CTA Red and Purple Modernization Program—are under administrative review to determine if unconstitutional practices are occurring.
The projects receive a total of $2.1 billion in federal funding.
On Monday, Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought cut “$8 billion in Green New Scam funding to fuel the Left’s climate agenda” in 16 dark-blue states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Vermont, and Washington.
He also froze $18 million for two infrastructure projects in New York City “to ensure funding is not flowing based on unconstitutional [diversity, equity, and inclusion] principles.”
“Illinois, like New York, is well-known to promote race- and sex-based contracting and other racial preferences as a public policy,” the Department of Transportation press release says.
The Department of Transportation cited a news article saying, “The CTA has regularly touted its [Disadvantaged Business Enterprise] goals as a key part of its equity mission. Agency staff said that through the end of September, 21% of its spending on the Red-Purple Modernization has so far gone to DBE firms—some 119 companies in total.”
The reviews will ensure no additional federal dollars go toward discriminatory, illegal, and wasteful contracting practices, the Department of Transportation says.
On Thursday, Trump met with Vought to decide which left-wing projects and personnel to cut during the shutdown.
“The American people don’t care what race or gender construction workers, pipefitters, or electricians are,” the press release says. “They just want these massive projects finally built, quickly and efficiently.”
The Transportation Department also urged Democrats in Congress to reopen the government by voting to pass the clean continuing resolution.
“[Transportation Secretary Sean] Duffy and USDOT are committed to conducting these reviews as fast as possible so reimbursements can move forward,” the release says. “Unfortunately, [congressional Democrat leaders] Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries’ decision to shut down the government has negatively affected the Department’s staffing resources for carrying out this important analysis.”
“Benefits for illegal immigrants are not worth potential impacts to important investments in our nation’s transportation infrastructure,” the release said.
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