Vought: Army Corps pausing $11B in projects in 4 Democratic cities

White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said Friday the Army Corps of Engineers is pausing $11 billion of funding in projects in four states. 

Democratic-led cities Baltimore, New York, San Francisco and Boston will be impacted by funding halt.

“The Democrat shutdown has drained the Army Corps of Engineers’ ability to manage billions of dollars in projects,” Vought wrote in a Friday post on social platform X. 

“The Corps will be immediately pausing over $11 billion in lower-priority projects & considering them for cancellation, including projects in New York, San Francisco, Boston, and Baltimore,” he added, signaling there is more information to come.

New York will shoulder the brunt of the paused spending, with $7 billion being temporarily withheld from the Empire State, according to Bloomberg. 

The ranking Democrat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development condemned the White House’s move.

“Cutting $11 Billion in Corps projects will devastate communities across America & drive up costs for working families. Infrastructure investment keeps ports competitive, protects homes from flooding, & supports good-paying jobs,” Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) said in a statement sent to The Hill. “Infrastructure investment keeps ports competitive, protects homes from flooding, & supports good-paying jobs.”

“Canceling projects means higher prices, lost jobs & a weaker economy,” she added.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’s (D-N.Y.) home state has been the target of funding cuts by the Trump administration amid the government shutdown. 

Republicans, in recent days, have upped their pressure campaign, urging Senate Democrats to approve a House authored stopgap bill. Democrats have blocked the legislation from advancing 10 times in hopes of securing expansions for Affordable Care Act premium subsidies.