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LOADINGERROR LOADING A handful of Republican senators are calling out President Donald Trump’s administration for halting billions of dollars in previously approved federal funding to Democratic states over what appear to be blatant political reasons amid the ongoing government shutdown. White House budget director Russ Vought confirmed earlier this month that $18 billion in New York City infrastructure projects and $2.1 billion for similar projects in Chicago — as well as $8 billion in clean energy programs in 16 blue states — are being withheld. Advertisement This seemingly vindictive approach has led to varying criticism from some Republicans, including Senate Appropriations Committee Chair Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) as well as Sens. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), Jerry Moran (R-Kansas) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-W.Va.). Murkowski noted that the Trump administration is hurting untold members of its own base. “You show me one blue state in America where you don’t have pockets, maybe even big pockets, of Republicans, of conservatives, of MAGA people, or pro-Trump,” she told The Hill reporter Alexander Bolton in an article published Tuesday. “Do we not care about them?” Murkowski added, “Are we just saying, ‘If you don’t like it, you should move to a place where you’ve got a Republican governor?’ It makes no sense. Why are we being punitive? It’s hard enough when the government is not operating as it should be.” Advertisement She continued, “Let’s not be punitive to Americans just to score political points.” The government shutdown is currently in its fourth week and began due to a standoff between Republicans and Democrats over measures aimed at protecting health insurance for millions of Americans. Hundreds of thousands of federal workers could be furloughed. Trump told Fox News in an interview that aired over the weekend that he’s “cutting” the Gateway tunnel project, a $16 billion initiative to expand train service between New York and New Jersey, in yet another seeming effort to pressure Democrats into acquiescing. Advertisement When asked if he supported nixing projects out of political revenge, Moran spoke bluntly. “No, I don’t,” the Kansas Republican told Bolton, adding: “It is not about what political party, what color your state is associated with, it’s about the value of the project, which is determined by Congress and implemented by the administration.” Collins similarly told Bolton that she is “not in favor of that,” but also went on to blame Democrats for not being “more cooperative in opening government.” She said they blocked a purportedly “clean,” House-passed government funding stopgap in recent weeks. MAGA makes'your mom'jokes. Your SupportFuelsOur Mission Your SupportFuelsOur Mission We make headlines. Serious questions deserve better than middle school humor. We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves. Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again. We remain committed to providing you with the unflinching, fact-based journalism everyone deserves. Thank you again for your support along the way. We’re truly grateful for readers like you! Your initial support helped get us here and bolstered our newsroom, which kept us strong during uncertain times. Now as we continue, we need your help more than ever. We hope you will join us once again. Support HuffPost Already contributed? Log in to hide these messages. Capito ultimately warned that this apparent punishment of blue states might someday bite Republicans. She recalled former President Barack Obama limiting coal and fossil-fuel production in her home state when his party had similar leverage during his tenure. Advertisement When asked if she thought it was appropriate to cut funding in states simply because they happen to be led by Democrats, Capito told Bolton: “I wouldn’t think so … The shoe’s going to be on the other foot someday and I don’t think that’s a good precedent to set.”
