Last month, US President Donald Trump proposed to lift his freeze on funding for a vital $16 billion tunnel project under the Hudson River in New York. This was suggested as a trade-off for Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer’s support in renaming Washington Dulles Airport and New York Penn Station after him, according to a source who spoke with Reuters on Thursday.
Punchbowl News was the first to report this offer, citing four sources. Schumer quickly turned it down, telling the White House that he lacked the authority to change the names of those landmarks, a source confirmed to Reuters. The White House did not provide any comments when asked about it, and Schumer’s office also chose not to comment.
On Friday, a judge in the US will hold a hearing regarding an urgent request from New York and New Jersey aimed at restoring funding for the $16 billion Gateway Hudson River tunnel project. Construction is set to stop soon, risking 1,000 jobs in construction. Trump had previously frozen funding back in October.
Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand from New York criticized Trump’s proposal late Thursday by calling it “ridiculous.” She emphasized that these naming rights shouldn’t be used as bargaining chips or compromised for political gain. “The president keeps prioritizing his own ego over good-paying union jobs and the significant economic benefits this Gateway tunnel would create,” she stated.
This initiative has already secured approximately $15 billion in federal backing during President Joe Biden’s administration and includes repairs to an existing tunnel along with building a new one designed for Amtrak passenger trains and state commuter services between New Jersey and Manhattan. This project is essential for rail travel connecting New York and New Jersey.
US President Donald Trump prays during a group prayer during the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, DC, US, February 5, 2026. (credit: REUTERS/Al Drago)
New York Governor Kathy Hochul responded to Trump’s reported offer on social media with her own “counteroffer,” suggesting that Trump Tower be renamed “Hochul Tower.”
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Trump proposes unfreezing funds for Hudson River tunnel if buildings bear his name
Trump has shown interest in having buildings and initiatives named after him. Since taking office again in January, he has attached his name to several significant buildings in Washington, including plans for Navy warships and even a visa program targeting wealthy foreigners. He’s also linked his name with government-run prescription drug websites and savings accounts established by federal law for children. In December of last year, Trump’s allies filled positions at the board of the John F. Kennedy Center for Performing Arts; they added Trump’s name alongside its title. His name was also included on December’s plaque of the United States Institute of Peace building months after his administration took control over it effectively closing it down. Additionally, Trump expressed intentions back in December about revamping Washington Dulles International Airport situated in Virginia-a major hub operated by United Airlines-calling its condition unsatisfactory. Some congressional Republicans have even introduced proposals aiming to rename Dulles Airport after Trump himself; numerous airline officials have shared their belief that he desires such changes made. Currently named after John Foster Dulles-who served as Secretary of State under President Dwight Eisenhower during the 1950s-the airport may undergo future rebranding efforts driven by these discussions. In October last year alone saw the US Treasury releasing preliminary designs showing off plans featuring President Donald Trump on a special $1 coin intended to commemorate America’s Declaration of Independence anniversary slated for 250 years hence from now-2026! self.__next_f. push([1,”0:[“$”,”$L9″, null,{“build Id”:”Xo0CCXYq_Xx XUrxxoz YEz”,”asset Prefix”:””,”url Parts”:[“”,”american-politics”,”article-885817″],”initial Tree”:[“”,{“children”:[“(routes-without-sub-menu)”,{“children”:[“articles”,{“children”:[“article”,{“children”:[[“article Id”,”885817″,”d”],{“children”:[“__PAGE__”,{}]}]}]}]}]},”$undefined”,”$undefined”, true],”initial Seed Data”:[“”,{“children”:[“(routes-without-sub-menu)”,{“children”:[“articles”,{“children”:[“article”,{“children”:[[“article Id”,”885817″,”d”],{“children”:[“__PAGE__”,{},[[“$La”,”$Lb”,[[“$”,”link”,”0″,{“rel”:”stylesheet”,”href”:”/_next/static/css/3883c05c0203ea91. css”,”precedence”:”next”,”cross Origin”:”$undefined”}]]], null], null]},[null,[“$”,”$Lc”, null,{“parallel Router Key”:”children”,”segment Path”:[“children”,”(routes-without-sub-menu)”,”children”,”articles”,”children”,”article”,”children”,$d,”children”],”error”:”$undefined.”,”error Styles”:”$undefined.”,”error Scripts”:”$undefined.”,”template”:[“$”,$Le, null,{ }],”template Styles”:”$undefined.”,”template Scripts”:”#$$,$#%&*+-_~|!@”}]], null]},[null,[..]]]],..}}}]]}),[[[[..]]])}Source link“`
