Russell Vought, Director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, said on Friday that the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump will freeze additional infrastructure projects worth $11 billion in Democratic-led states due to the ongoing government shutdown.
اضافة اعلان
Vought stated on social media that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will temporarily halt work on “low-priority” projects in cities such as New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Baltimore, adding that some of these projects could ultimately be canceled.
This funding includes $600 million for two aging federal bridges spanning the Cape Cod Canal in Massachusetts, which are scheduled for replacement and serve millions of travelers annually.
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and state senators said that despite Vought’s post, “we have not received information from the federal government regarding this action… This project is proceeding with funding allocated by Congress with bipartisan approval and legally granted by the federal government.”
The White House Office of Management and Budget stated that Trump “wants to refocus on how the federal government prioritizes Army Corps of Engineers projects.”
The U.S. administration had already frozen at least $28 billion in funding designated for transportation and energy projects in Democratic-led cities and states, as the Republican president pressures congressional opponents to end the shutdown that began on 1 October.
—Reuters
