US President Donald Trump has escalated the government shutdown battle by freezing $26 billion in federal funding earmarked for Democratic-leaning states.
The decision, announced Wednesday, immediately fueled accusations of political blackmail from Democratic leaders.
According to Reuters, the freeze targeted projects central to Democratic priorities.
It includes $18 billion for New York transit infrastructure and $8 billion for green-energy programs spread across 16 Democratic-run states such as California and Illinois.
Vice President JD Vance suggested the administration could extend cuts to the federal workforce if the shutdown drags on.
He stressed that the White House would use the crisis as leverage to reshape spending priorities.
Trump defended the freeze in a late-night post on Truth Social, insisting “billions of dollars can be saved.”
The backlash came swiftly. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer accused Trump of weaponizing the shutdown.
“He is using the American people as pawns, threatening pain on the country as blackmail,” Schumer said.
This shutdown marks the 15th since 1981. More than 750,000 federal workers are already furloughed, while military personnel and Border Patrol agents remain on duty without pay.
The disruption has also hit research labs, environmental cleanups, financial regulators, and other vital services.
The Department of Veterans Affairs announced burials would continue in national cemeteries, but headstones and maintenance like mowing grass would be halted.
Even within Republican ranks, concerns surfaced. Senator Thom Tillis warned that withholding infrastructure funds could inflame the crisis.
“They need to be really careful with that, because they can create a toxic environment here,” he said.
But Republican Senate Leader John Thune dismissed suggestions that Trump was taking Americans hostage.
The move underscores Trump’s strategy of leveraging the shutdown to assert tighter control over the $7 trillion federal budget, a responsibility traditionally held by Congress.
White House Spokesperson Karoline Leavitt defended the administration’s stance, blaming Democrats for rejecting a stopgap funding bill.
She argued the US cannot afford to provide “free healthcare for illegals,” pointing to the nation’s $37 trillion debt.
Trump has hinted that the shutdown could be used to permanently shrink the federal workforce.
Speaking at the White House on Tuesday, he said, “We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible, like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting programs they like.” He added that those at risk of losing jobs were “going to be Democrats.”
The US has experienced long shutdowns before, including the 34-day lapse during Trump’s first term, the longest in American history.
This latest standoff highlights how deeply partisan divides now shape both governance and the daily lives of Americans.
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