President Donald Trump has insisted that New York City’s Penn Station and Virginia’s Dulles International Airport be renamed after him as a condition for releasing frozen federal funds for a major infrastructure project connecting New York and New Jersey.
The Trump administration blocked funding for the $16 billion Gateway project during the federal government shutdown in October 2025. Although the shutdown ended in November and Congress approved full funding in early February 2026, the money is still being withheld.
Trump relayed his naming demand to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, saying he could restore the funding quickly. Schumer immediately dismissed the idea, telling Trump he had no power to deliver such a request. He explained that naming authority lies with Congress and state governments, not his office.
The $16 billion Gateway project includes the construction of a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River to link New Jersey and New York. After years of setbacks, the project gained momentum in 2024 with an additional $6.9 billion commitment from President Joe Biden’s administration.
Russell Vought, the White House budget director, halted infrastructure spending to avoid funding policies he argued were unconstitutional and tied to DEI initiatives. As a result, New York and New Jersey have filed lawsuits to force the administration to release the already approved funds.
Project leaders warned that work would stop without renewed funding. About 1,000 construction workers across five job sites were immediately laid off when construction paused on Feb. 6, 2026, and a prolonged shutdown could threaten as many as 11,000 jobs.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democrat from New York and member of the Appropriations Committee, condemned the proposal on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, calling it ridiculous.
Gillibrand emphasized that naming rights are non-negotiable and described Trump’s demand as a sign of his narcissism. She urged the president to unblock funding for the Gateway project and for all other initiatives his administration is delaying.
Representative Jerry Nadler also criticized Trump’s proposal, saying on X that Trump is once again attempting to expand his extortion tactics by forcing his name onto Penn Station while withholding billions in essential Gateway funding.
Following a ruling on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, U.S. District Judge Jeannette A. Vargas ordered the Trump administration to temporarily restore funding for the $16 billion Gateway Project. Vargas issued a temporary injunction, noting that the freeze appeared arbitrary and that withholding funds would cause serious harm to the region’s infrastructure and economy. However, on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026, she granted a brief administrative stay of her order until Feb. 12 at 5 p.m., giving the administration time to appeal to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. As of the stay, no federal funds had been released, and construction remained stopped.
Since returning to office, Trump has pushed to put his name on several programs and institutions. On Feb. 5, he introduced a lower-cost prescription drug website called TrumpRX. He also launched the Trump Gold Card program, which offers a $1 million path to permanent residency and potential citizenship, with a Trump Platinum Card requiring a $5 million contribution currently on a waitlist.
In December, Trump renamed the U.S. Institute of Peace the Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace. The institute, created by Congress in 1984, is an independent nonprofit organization.
Although the Trump administration seized control of the institute, dismissed its leadership and most staff, and added Trump’s name to the building, the organization was not legally dissolved. A federal district court ruled in May 2025 that the takeover was unlawful, but the ruling is on hold pending appeal. The building remains under government control while the case continues.
That same month, Trump’s appointed board approved adding his name to the Kennedy Center, prompting objections from the Kennedy family. Trump also unveiled plans for a 250-foot Independence Arch near the Arlington Memorial Bridge, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., as part of America’s 250th anniversary celebrations.
The Gateway tunnel project is considered one of the most critical infrastructure undertakings in the Northeast corridor. The existing tunnel carries hundreds of thousands of commuters daily between New Jersey and New York and is vital to the region’s economy, according to transportation experts.
The impasse over Gateway funding comes at a time when infrastructure investment remains a bipartisan priority in Washington, though disagreements persist over how projects should be managed and overseen. The Biden administration’s infrastructure law has supplied major funding for transportation initiatives across the country, including the Gateway tunnel.
In Florida, Republican lawmakers have introduced state bills (SB 706 and HB 919) to rename Palm Beach International Airport as Donald J. Trump International Airport.
