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President Donald Trump has reportedly offered to release $16 billion in federal funding for a major New York-New Jersey infrastructure project, but with an unusual condition: renaming two major transportation hubs after himself.
According to multiple sources who spoke with NBC News, Trump told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer he would unfreeze funding for the Gateway tunnel project if New York's Penn Station and Washington's Dulles International Airport were renamed in his honor.
The Gateway project, which would create a new railway tunnel under the Hudson River connecting New Jersey and New York, has been stalled since the Trump administration halted funding during last fall's government shutdown. Despite the shutdown ending in November, the administration has yet to release the already-appropriated funds.
Schumer reportedly rejected the offer, with a source close to the New York senator telling NBC News "there is nothing to trade" and that "the president stopped the funding, and he can restart the funding with a snap of his fingers."
The funding freeze has created an urgent situation, as CNN reported that construction on the project halted on Friday (February 6), putting approximately 1,000 construction jobs at risk. New York and New Jersey have sued the Trump administration in federal court to have the funding restored.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York condemned the proposal in a statement: "These naming rights aren't tradable as part of any negotiations, and neither is the dignity of New Yorkers. The president continues to put his own narcissism over the good-paying union jobs this project provides."
This request comes amid a broader pattern of the president seeking to place his name on government landmarks and initiatives. In recent months, Trump has launched TrumpRX for lower-cost prescription drugs, proposed "Trump Gold Cards" offering a pathway to citizenship, and his appointees have renamed the U.S. Institute of Peace and the Kennedy Center to include his name.
A Republican House member had previously introduced legislation to rename Dulles after President Trump, though according to USA Today, the bill has been stalled in committee since last February. A Florida state lawmaker has also proposed adding Trump's name to Palm Beach International Airport.
A federal judge was scheduled to hold a hearing today on New York and New Jersey's emergency request to restore funding before construction stopped.
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