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The Trump administration proposed renaming Washington’s Dulles International Airport and New York’s Penn Station after President Donald Trump as part of discussions over releasing long-stalled federal funding for a critical rail tunnel between New York and New Jersey, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.
The request was conveyed to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., as the administration continues to withhold money for the $16.1 billion Gateway Program, a massive infrastructure project that includes construction of a new rail tunnel beneath the Hudson River.
The administration halted funding for the project at the start of last fall’s federal government shutdown. Although the shutdown ended in November and Congress passed full-year appropriations this week, the White House has not yet released the funds.
Funding standoff threatens construction halt
The Gateway Program centers on replacing the century-old rail tunnel that connects New Jersey and New York, a critical artery for Amtrak and New Jersey Transit that officials have long warned is at risk of failure.
The project received a major boost in 2024, when the Biden administration agreed to provide an additional $6.9 billion in federal funding after years of delays and cost disputes.
But White House budget director Russell Vought said last year that the Trump administration was freezing infrastructure funds to ensure they were not used for what he described as “unconstitutional DEI principles.”
New York and New Jersey have since sued the federal government to force the release of money that had already been appropriated by Congress.
The Gateway Development Commission has warned that construction will be forced to halt if funds are not released soon, a move that could trigger layoffs of thousands of construction workers. Project officials say available funding will be exhausted by Friday.
‘Nothing to trade’
The White House declined to comment on the reported proposal. Schumer’s office did not respond to a request for comment, but a source close to the Senate Democratic leader said there was no negotiation to be had.
“There is nothing to trade,” the source said. “The president stopped the funding, and he can restart the funding with a snap of his fingers.”
Punchbowl News first reported the administration’s proposal to rename Dulles and Penn Station.
Democratic backlash
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, called the proposal “ridiculous” in a statement Thursday.
“These naming rights aren’t tradable as part of any negotiations, and neither is the dignity of New Yorkers,” Gillibrand said. “At a time when New Yorkers are already being crushed by high costs under the Trump tariffs, the president continues to put his own narcissism over the good-paying union jobs this project provides and the extraordinary economic impact the Gateway tunnel will bring.”
Gillibrand demanded that the administration release the funds immediately, saying the project was being “held hostage for personal gain.”
Pattern of branding efforts
The reported proposal fits a broader pattern of efforts by Trump and his allies to affix his name to federal programs, institutions and landmarks.
Earlier this week, Trump launched a website offering lower-cost prescription drugs branded as TrumpRX. He has also proposed a $5 million pathway to permanent residency and eventual citizenship dubbed the Trump Gold Card.
In December, Trump added his name to the U.S. Institute of Peace after his administration dismantled the agency. That same month, a Trump-appointed board voted to add his name to the Kennedy Center, prompting objections from the Kennedy family, a lawsuit from an Ohio Democratic lawmaker and several high-profile performance cancellations.
A Republican House member has also introduced legislation to rename Dulles International Airport after Trump, though the bill has been stalled in a House aviation subcommittee since February.
Separately, a Florida state lawmaker has proposed renaming Palm Beach International Airport to include Trump’s name.
What comes next
With Gateway funding set to run out within days, pressure is mounting on the administration to release the money Congress has already approved. Absent action, one of the most significant transportation projects in the Northeast — and a linchpin of the region’s rail network — could grind to a halt.
