Trump offers to unfreeze $16 billion for NY tunnel project, but what Trump wanted in return was his most audacious ask yet

President Donald Trump told Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer last month that he would release over $16 billion in infrastructure funding. However, he had one condition: Schumer must agree to rename two major transit hubs after him.

According to CNN, Trump has kept holding back the money meant for the Gateway project, a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River that connects New York and New Jersey. To get the funds released, New York’s Penn Station and Washington’s Dulles International Airport would need to be renamed in the president’s honor.

This funding freeze has serious real-world effects. The commission managing the Gateway tunnel warned that if the Trump administration doesn’t release the money soon, they will have to stop all work on the project. If work stops, about 1,000 workers will lose their jobs.

Trump’s pattern of putting his name on government property continues

When Trump made this offer, Schumer rejected it right away. The Senate Minority Leader told the president he doesn’t have the power to agree to such an unusual request. It’s a big demand that goes far beyond normal infrastructure talks.

This isn’t Trump’s first attempt to brand government property with his name. Since returning to the White House, he has tried to put his name on almost everything. He created the Trump Gold Card, an expensive path to citizenship, and the TrumpRx website for cheaper prescription drugs. He even wanted a new class of battleship named after him.

Recently, Trump has focused on famous landmarks. He wants to add his name to the US Institute of Peace and Washington’s Kennedy Center. But demanding to rename Penn Station and Dulles Airport is his boldest move yet, using a critical infrastructure project to get what he wants personally. The president’s latest controversial constitutional remarks have also raised concerns among lawmakers.

The Gateway tunnel construction started before Trump returned to office. The federal government had promised to pay a large part of the cost. But late last year, Trump stopped the funding. Democratic officials in New Jersey and New York say this decision was politically motivated.

The states are fighting back. This week, New York and New Jersey filed a complaint against the Trump administration. They claim suspending the more than $16 billion is illegal. Schumer has been trying to negotiate to unfreeze the funds, but he can’t rename major transit hubs on his own. Trump’s approach to dealing with Democrats has shown his relationship with certain political figures, though it hasn’t helped this particular standoff.

Some conservative lawmakers tried to pass legislation to rename Dulles as “Donald J. Trump International Airport,” but that effort has gone nowhere. The legislation hasn’t moved forward in the GOP-controlled Congress, so it likely won’t pass. For now, the project is stuck, the funding is frozen, the two states are suing, and 1,000 workers are waiting to learn if they still have jobs.