Republican senators are criticizing the Trump administration's move to slash transportation funding to blue states such as New York and Massachusetts during a government shutdown.
The Trump administration recently said it would freeze $600 million in funding to help repair two bridges over Cape Cod Canal.
The Army Corps of Engineers has stopped funding for a waterfront park in San Francisco and sewer projects in New York City, The Hill reported.
Other Democrat-leaning states seeing funding cuts include Delaware, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon, and Rhode Island.
Sen. Jerry Moran, R-Kan., told The Hill that funding authority belongs to Congress and that projects should be funded based on merit, not political retaliation.
"It is not about what political party, what color your state is associated with, it's about the value of the project," Moran said.
Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., warned that Democrats could retaliate against Republican-leaning states when they control Congress and the White House.
"The shoe's going to be on the other foot someday, and I don't think that's a good precedent to set," Capito told The Hill. "We're all in need of infrastructure.
"I don't think you want to do it on political maneuvering. Maybe it's trying to pressure [Democrats] to reopen government."
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., defended the Trump administration, saying it is simply playing politics with the Democrats, whom he said are refusing to help fund the government.
"I don't think there's anybody that wins in a government shutdown, but in a government shutdown, any administration is going to have their own priorities," Thune told reporters.
"Obviously, this administration, like any other, is going to have to decide where they want to put the money, which programs and priorities and agencies and departments actually get resources and which ones don't," he continued.
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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