HARDBALL: Trump administration freezes $18 billion in New York City infrastructure projects, Vought says.

Vought’s announcement came on the first day of the shutdown of the U.S. government after Congress failed to pass stopgap funding bills that would have kept federal agencies and services operating at normal capacity for at least another seven weeks.

The Trump administration has blamed the two top Democrats in Congress — Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries — for that shutdown. Both Democrats are from New York City.

Gateway, which costs more than $16 billion, is set to build another rail tunnel under the Hudson River to add capacity to two single-track tunnels that carry Amtrak and New Jersey Transit trains to Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan from New Jersey, and vice versa.

The Second Avenue Subway is an ongoing subway line project along Manhattan’s East Side.

Vought announced the freeze in posts on the social media site X.

“Roughly $18 billion in New York City infrastructure projects have been put on hold to ensure funding is not flowing based on unconstitutional DEI principles,” Vought wrote.

DEI refers to diversity, equity and inclusion policies, which have become a target for the Trump administration.

Mayor-in-waiting Mamdani, take note.