Schumer’s Gambit Backfires as President Trump Crushes His $16 Billion Gateway Dream

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer bet big on the government shutdown — and just lost spectacularly.

After weeks of partisan theater and anti-Trump “No Kings” rallies, the New York Democrat discovered what happens when you try to play political chicken with a president who doesn’t blink.

Aboard Air Force One on Sunday, President Donald J. Trump announced he has terminated funding for Schumer’s prized $16 billion Hudson River tunnel project, known as the Gateway Program.

“As of now, it’s terminated,” the president said in a clip posted to X. “And that’s up to me, and as of now, it’s terminated.”

Trump drew a direct line between his decision and the Democrats’ reckless shutdown strategy.

“And it’s terminated because the Democrats are so foolish what they’ve done to the country,” he said. “I mean, we have the hottest country in the world. There’s no country even close. And they just want to do this [shutdown].”

The president went on to describe Democrats’ political gamesmanship as a national embarrassment.

“You know, there’s nothing for them to do,” he added. “All they have to do is just say, ‘Let everything continue.’ And I will say, a lot of Democrats want this to get over.”

When pressed by reporters on whether any funding remained for the project, Trump left no ambiguity:

“Right now there is no funding,” he said, “because it’s up to me.”

Politico later confirmed that Trump told reporters he had also pulled support for a $7 billion extension of the Second Avenue Subway. While one anonymous Department of Transportation official attempted to downplay the remarks, Trump’s statement on Air Force One made it clear — this administration answers to him, not to bureaucrats hiding behind anonymity.

The move represents a decisive strike against Schumer and the Democratic Party, who engineered the shutdown in a failed attempt to gain leverage. President Trump has now made them feel the consequences of their own obstruction.

It’s poetic justice: Democrats, who refused to fund the paychecks of America’s military heroes, are watching billions in pork projects evaporate.

Schumer’s lesson is an old one — never strike a king unless you kill him. And this time, it’s the president who wields the crown of constitutional authority, unapologetically defending the American people from a party that’s abandoned decency, patriotism, and common sense.

The message from Trump is unmistakable: if Democrats insist on playing political games, they’ll watch every one of their cherished projects crumble — starting with the Gateway to nowhere.