Translation. Region: Russian Federal
Source: People's Republic of China in Russian – People's Republic of China in Russian –
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Source: People's Republic of China – State Council News
Washington, October 2 /Xinhua – On Wednesday, the first day of the federal government shutdown, the Trump administration froze $26 billion for Democratic-controlled states. Trump called it a "good" opportunity to cut "something we didn't need."
White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said about $8 billion in "fraudulent projects to advance the left's climate agenda" are being cut, affecting 16 states, most of which are led by Democrats.
Meanwhile, the US Department of Transportation has suspended $18 billion in funding for infrastructure projects in New York City, where Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have been repeatedly attacked by Donald Trump, The New York Times reported on Wednesday.
The department blamed Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries for the funding cuts. "Due to the government shutdown caused by Chuck Schumer and Hakeem Jeffries, the Department of Transportation's review of unconstitutional practices in New York will take longer," the statement read.
"Without a budget, the department was forced to place the civil rights staff responsible for this work on unpaid leave," they added.
Charles Schumer claimed that the Trump administration is using the government shutdown to "blackmail" Democratic states. "He's using the American people as pawns, threatening to hurt the country as blackmail," he said.
The US Senate failed to pass a government funding bill on Wednesday, leading to a government shutdown for the first time in nearly seven years.
"A lot of good can come out of the government shutdown," Trump said on Tuesday. "We can get rid of a lot of things we never needed."
About 750,000 federal workers have been ordered not to report to work, while others have begun working without pay, Reuters reported on Thursday.
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