Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy on Monday insisted that his agency wasn’t trying to stall $18 billion worth of infrastructure projects when the White House announced last week that it would freeze some funding pending a review for “unconstitutional DEI principles,” saying that the review had been ongoing before the government closed its doors.
“The president in his budget fully funded these projects. We’re not trying to shut down these projects,” Duffy told a group of reporters at Newark Liberty International Airport. “To the contrary, we’re trying to make sure these projects move forward and move forward fast. They’re important. But the question is why would Chuck Schumer, who says he cares about the projects, shut down the government so we don’t have the staff to review the contracting authority used on these projects and is it done constitutionally.”
That’s a rhetorical shift from last week when White House budget director Russ Vought, in an Oct. 1 social media posting on X, said the money is being “put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing based on unconstitutional DEI principles.” He specifically cited funding for the massive bi-state Gateway Program, which includes a new train tunnel under the Hudson River to connect New York and New Jersey, and New York City’s Second Avenue Subway line.
The ending of the funding freeze is not dependent on the shutdown ending, but on an administrative review that began Sept. 30.
