Government Shutdown Bites; White House Freezes/Cancels ~$28B Mainly in Blue States

Two weeks in, the shutdown is tangible: delayed flights, quiet tax hotlines, farmers without loans. The administration has frozen or canceled about $28B in projects, primarily in Democratic-led areas.

Transportation: Billions withheld for projects in NY and IL; the White House cited diversity-clause reviews, while Trump publicly tied it to feuds with those states.

Energy: At least $7.6B in grants terminated across 16 states (14 led by Democrats); DOE said projects were “not economically viable” or didn’t “fit the agenda”.

The White House says >4,000 federal workers will be fired to keep “essential” services running; budget experts warn the maneuver may be illegal.

Trump vowed to publish a permanent cut list: “We are closing up Democrat programs … and they’re never going to open again,” and threatened to deny furloughed back pay (despite a 2019 law).