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Trump Seizes On Shutdown to Punish Political Foes
The New York Times ^ | Oct. 4, 2025 | Tony Romm

Posted on 10/04/2025 9:46:36 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum

The White House has cut or paused billions in funding to Democratic-run cities and states since the federal government came to a halt.

President Trump has embarked on a legally dubious campaign to weaponize the federal budget during a contentious government shutdown, halting more than $27 billion in approved funding in a bid to punish Democratic-led cities and states.

Rather than broker a legislative truce or seek to ameliorate the fallout of a costly fiscal stalemate, the president has leveraged the crisis to exact revenge on rivals, slash federal spending and pressure Democrats into accepting his political demands.

Since the shutdown started on Wednesday, the Trump administration has canceled or delayed federal aid to 16 states, most of them run by Democrats. In the latest example, Russell T. Vought, the White House budget director, said on Friday that the administration would halt about $2.1 billion in approved funding for long-planned transit improvements in Chicago.

Mr. Vought claimed the pause was necessary to ensure that the city, which is led by a Democratic mayor in a state with a Democratic governor, had not engaged in “race-based contracting.”

The White House has also targeted New York, the home state of Democrats’ congressional leaders, and canceled nearly $7.6 billion in federal green-energy funding, predominantly in Democratic-led states. On Friday, the Trump administration said it could look to slash unspecified aid to Portland soon, after earlier stripping away some of Oregon’s infrastructure money.

“Without a doubt, blue states are on the front lines of the attacks,” said New York’s governor, Kathy Hochul, a Democrat. “They’re coming after us.”

Throughout the week, the president’s deputies maintained that they were not politicizing the shutdown and that they sought only to save money and prevent...


(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...


TOPICS: Government; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: alldurantyallthetime; arrestcarlosslim; clutchthepearls; crymeariver; demedia; doge; enemycombatant; enemyjournalist; faintingcouch; maga; nytsedition; officialdemnarrative; ohnoanyway; punish; punishtonyromm; seizes; smellingsalts; thepaperofstalin; tonyromm; trumpshutdown

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Rather than broker a legislative truce or seek to ameliorate the fallout of a costly fiscal stalemate, the president has leveraged the crisis to exact revenge on rivals...

"Liberals" hate it when you use their own tactics against them.

1 posted on 10/04/2025 9:46:36 AM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Yes please!


2 posted on 10/04/2025 9:48:32 AM PDT by Theophilus (covfefe)
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To: Theophilus

This is what happens when you lose.


3 posted on 10/04/2025 9:49:39 AM PDT by calljack (Stealing the 2020 Election will go down in history as the worst political miscalculation of all time)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Ah, the Old Gray Liar. I’m surprised there’s only one propagandist hack in the byline. It usually takes a crew of three or four to barf up this kind of crap.


4 posted on 10/04/2025 9:50:11 AM PDT by Sicon ("All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others." - G. Orwell)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

The Demonrats unscrupulously weaponized everything their twisted little demonic minds could think of. Crush them and Never give them another chance!


5 posted on 10/04/2025 9:50:47 AM PDT by Theophilus (covfefe)
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To: calljack

I guess the Times thinks the Democrats would not do this?


6 posted on 10/04/2025 9:51:13 AM PDT by ActresponsiblyinVA
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Bfl


7 posted on 10/04/2025 9:51:29 AM PDT by Kudsman (48)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

Keep trying, oh no longer respected NYT.
What went around has come around. You started it, and Trump is torturing your sorry-assed butts.


8 posted on 10/04/2025 9:52:29 AM PDT by Da Coyote
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

They handed it to him. They could stop the schumer shutdown if they really wanted to.


9 posted on 10/04/2025 9:54:07 AM PDT by rktman (Destroy America from within? On hold! Enlisted USN 1967 proudly. 🚫💉! 🇮🇱🙏! Winning currently!)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“legally dubious” it is the executive branch that makes decisions and calls the shots. Trump is the highest executive.


10 posted on 10/04/2025 9:54:38 AM PDT by exnavy (See article IV section 4 of our constitution.)
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To: Sicon

The New York Times says all this like it’s a bad thing. It’s not.


11 posted on 10/04/2025 9:58:44 AM PDT by oldplayer
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

More! More! MORE!


12 posted on 10/04/2025 9:58:59 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer (The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

FAFO


13 posted on 10/04/2025 10:00:13 AM PDT by spokeshave (Proud Boys, Angry Dads. Grumpy Grandads & Curmudgeons)
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

I voted for that!


14 posted on 10/04/2025 10:00:25 AM PDT by Clay Moore (My pistol identifies as a cordless hole punch. )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

May these evil scoundrels be stricken from history and their names never spoken again.


15 posted on 10/04/2025 10:00:35 AM PDT by Gnome1949
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

EXACTLY!


16 posted on 10/04/2025 10:01:21 AM PDT by Bobbyvotes (Work is worship! .... Bhagavad Geeta. )
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

if you mess with the bull, you do get the horns. Maybe they shouldn’t have spent the last 4 years messing with T$?


17 posted on 10/04/2025 10:02:59 AM PDT by Jeff Vader
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

“Republicans pounce!” The NYT is simply boring.


18 posted on 10/04/2025 10:03:36 AM PDT by Billthedrill
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

The Democrats have never done anything for political gain. Never. /SARCASM


19 posted on 10/04/2025 10:05:59 AM PDT by Hyman Roth
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To: E. Pluribus Unum

https://x.com/i/status/1974157961171013970


20 posted on 10/04/2025 10:06:40 AM PDT by Bobbyvotes (Work is worship! .... Bhagavad Geeta. )
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