Schumer Rejects Trump's Allegation as 'Absolute Lie' in Infrastructure Funding Dispute
New York Senator and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has issued a forceful denial of President Donald Trump's claim that he proposed renaming Penn Station and Dulles International Airport in honour of the president. The controversy emerged amid a high-stakes battle over frozen federal funds for a critical infrastructure project.
Trump's Allegation and Schumer's Rebuttal
President Trump told reporters on Friday evening that Senator Schumer had pitched the idea of renaming New York's Penn Station to "Trump Station" and Virginia's Dulles International Airport after him. "He suggested that to me," Trump stated while en route to Mar-a-Lago. "Chuck Schumer suggested that to me about changing the name of Penn Station to Trump Station."
Within hours, Senator Schumer took to social media platform X to deliver a blistering response. "Absolute lie. He knows it. Everyone knows it," Schumer wrote. "Only one man can restart the project and he can restart it with the snap of his fingers."
The Gateway Tunnel Project at Stake
The "project" referenced by Schumer is the Gateway Tunnel Project, a $16 billion infrastructure initiative designed to create a new rail tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey while replacing aging infrastructure. In October, the Trump administration froze over $200 million in previously approved federal funding for this critical transportation project.
According to multiple reports citing sources close to the situation, Trump had allegedly told Schumer he would agree to release the $205 million in frozen funds if the senator would support renaming both Penn Station and Dulles International Airport after the president.
Legal Developments and Congressional Reactions
On Monday, the Gateway Development Commission, which oversees the project, filed a lawsuit against the federal government over the funding freeze. This legal action culminated in a significant ruling on Friday when Manhattan Judge Jeannette Vargas ordered the Trump administration to release the frozen funds.
The Trump administration has never provided specific reasons for freezing the Gateway Tunnel funds, instead blaming Democrats for refusing to negotiate to restart the project. Congressional representatives from affected states expressed outrage at the reported naming rights proposal.
Congressman Robert Menendez Jr. of New Jersey told CBS News, "That's why we're going to jeopardize this project? It's insane." Senator Kirsten Gillibrand of New York declared on X, "These naming rights aren't tradable as part of any negotiations, and neither is the dignity of New Yorkers. I demand that the president put people first and unfreeze this project and all the others his administration has been holding hostage for his personal gain."
Pattern of Naming Controversies
This incident follows a pattern of controversies surrounding Trump's name appearing on public institutions. Last year, the board of trustees for the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts—appointed by Trump after he dismissed the previous board—voted to rename the venue after the president.
Similarly, when Trump announced his TrumpRx discount pharmaceutical drug site last year, he insisted that someone else had conceived the name and that he had no involvement in the branding. The president's current insistence that Schumer originated the Penn Station renaming idea appears to follow this established pattern of deflecting responsibility for naming decisions.
Uncertain Future for Critical Infrastructure
Despite the judge's ruling against the administration, it remains uncertain whether President Trump will comply with the court order to release the Gateway Tunnel funds in a timely manner. Work on the tunnel cannot proceed beyond this week without the unfrozen federal funding, potentially causing significant delays to this vital infrastructure project that would benefit millions of commuters between New York and New Jersey.
The dispute highlights ongoing tensions between the Trump administration and congressional Democrats over infrastructure funding, with this particular conflict now entangled in allegations about trading naming rights for federal support of critical public works projects.
