These and other actions were immediately blasted by John L. Downey, general president of the International Union of Operating Engineers in Washington.  “Let’s call this what it is: political retaliation at the expense of workers,” he charged. “These are billions of dollars appropriated on projects already moving forward. And simply because they don’t fit a political narrative, they are thrown on the burn pile.”

Mr. Downey noted that the Trump administration “campaigned on ‘American Workers First.’  But instead, they have consistently taken away job opportunities leaving Operating Engineers and thousands of other construction workers scrambling for work.”

The administration’s termination of crucial infrastructure projects funding and the shutdown are also having ripple effects nationwide in Republican districts as well. Other affected projects include $1 billion for the Pacific Northwest hydrogen hub that was expected to create jobs in Republican districts in Oregon, Washington and Montana; $29 million for a new hydrogen fuel cell manufacturing facility; and more than $26 million for two projects in the district of Congressman Mike Lawler (CD-17) in sections of Rockland and Westchester counties. One project, the $19.7 million “methane characterization” project at IBM’s global research headquarters in Yorktown Heights, NY, is among the biggest casualties.

“I’m in New York and I’m a Republican, and obviously this project cancellation impacts my district, so it’s not just Democrats getting impacted,” Mr. Lawler said.

Politico reported on Oct. 7 that New York is getting whipsawed by the Trump administration’s aggressive cost-cutting strategy. It listed about $467 million that is being cut from clean energy projects in New York by the Trump administration, a portion of the $8 billion in Department of Energy grants in mostly blue states, according to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee’s calculations.

On Thurs., Oct. 9, New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul called out Washington Republicans for cutting critical safety and security funding for New York’s mass transit system. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) had been slated to receive $34 million in federal Transit Security Grant Program funds, which support essential counter-terror and transit security functions. Last week, lawmakers were notified that the MTA was to be the only agency of 21 applicants nationwide to not receive federal security dollars via this program.

She accused the Trump administration of defunding the police. “Since 9/11, New York has relied on federal support to ensure that our transit system has the counterterrorism resources it needs to keep millions of riders safe every single day. The shocking actions of Washington Republicans to slash these funds and defund the police put New York City at risk. We will not tolerate these cuts; New York will take every action available to us — including the courts — to ensure the MTA gets this critical funding to keep millions of riders safe.”

Future delays now threaten tens of thousands of jobs and billions in contracts that will significantly impact New York-based infrastructure contractors, especially those facing delayed timelines and potential job losses, MTA Chairman Janno Lieber explained. While the MTA has a set state-sponsored budget in place, it still relies on federal grants. The freeze is anticipated to affect MTA operations and delay future bids, with uncertainty likely to ripple through the broader economy, particularly in sectors tied to public infrastructure.

In other published reports, New Jersey Republican Tom Kean also denounced the cancellation of federal funding for the Gateway tunnel project but dug in his partisan heals by blaming his counterparts across the aisle in Congress for the shutdown, which is now into a second week.

IUOE’s Mr. Downey offered a different perspective. “Taking advantage of a government shut down to exact revenge from political enemies is unacceptable.” The general president of the 400,000-member labor organization added, “It hurts workers, plain and simple, and Operating Engineers won’t stay quiet while our members are treated like political pawns.”