Federal Government Halts Massive Funding for Chicago Infrastructure Initiatives
A federal halt on $2.1 billion allocated for the city of Chicago infrastructure projects was announced on the end of the week, as stated by Budget Director the official.
Impacted Initiatives
Among the initiatives affected by the funding freeze involve the extension of the Red Line, which was scheduled to start building in the coming year and expand mass transit to underprivileged communities in the metropolis.
Additionally, improvement efforts on a number of rail lines were also paused.
Reasoning for the Halt
Vought wrote on social media that the money was “paused to ensure funding is not flowing via race-based contracting.”
The declaration follows a parallel move earlier this week involving New York City, where the official said that significant funding for transportation would be halted, including financial support for a proposed subway tunnel under the Hudson.
National Closure Situation
This move occurs as the federal government closure continues into its third consecutive day, with the Senate planned to hold a vote later in the day.
Regardless of the scheduled legislative action, there is little hope that a agreement is near, as Democrats hold out for a set of health-related concessions.
Additional Implications
Meanwhile, a increasing number of federal agencies and employees are explicitly blaming opposition leaders for the stoppage.
This political messaging by departments is potentially a breach of the Hatch Act, which bans federal employees from engaging in political campaigning.
Furloughed public servants at some departments have been instructed to set automated replies indicating that they are not working because Democrats initiated a shutdown.
A radical left has chosen to shut down the United States government in the name of reckless spending and obstructionism,” the treasury department’s website states.
Even, alerts over economic damage seem not to be prompting conciliatory moves.
A study by EY Parthenon estimated that every seven-day period the closure lasts will mean a $7 billion hit to the economy.