President Donald Trump has stipulated that his name be attached to New York City’s Penn Station and Virginia’s Dulles International Airport as a condition to release the frozen federal funds for a significant infrastructure initiative that links New York and New Jersey.
The Trump administration put a hold on the funding for the $16 billion Gateway project during the federal government shutdown in October 2025. Despite the shutdown ending in November and full appropriations passed in early February 2026, the funds remain frozen.
Trump conveyed his renaming demand to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, stating that he could quickly reinstate the funding.
The $16 billion Gateway project includes building a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River to connect New Jersey and New York. Despite numerous challenges, the project gained traction in 2024 when an additional $6.9 billion in funding was committed by President Joe Biden’s administration.
Russell Vought, the White House budget director, suspended infrastructure spending to avoid supporting what he deemed unconstitutional DEI-related policies. As a result, New York and New Jersey have initiated lawsuits to force the administration to release the already approved funds.
Leaders of the Gateway project warn that without a resumption in funding, construction will have to be halted, leading to the loss of hundreds of construction jobs.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a Democratic member of the Appropriations Committee from New York, criticized the proposal on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, calling it absurd.
Gillibrand stated that the naming rights are not negotiable and described Trump’s demand as a reflection of his narcissism. She urged the president to release the funds for the project and all other initiatives that his administration has been withholding.
Representative Jerry Nadler also expressed his disapproval of Trump’s proposal, stating on X that Trump is “once again attempting to extend his extortion racket by smearing his name onto Penn Station while holding up billions in critical funding for the Gateway Project.” The Guardian reported the controversy on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026.
Following a ruling on Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, by U.S. District Judge Jeannette A. Vargas, the Trump administration has been ordered to temporarily reinstate the funding for the $16 billion Gateway Project. Vargas granted a temporary injunction, stating that the freeze seemed arbitrary and withholding funds would cause significant damage to the region’s infrastructure and economy. Consequently, the federal funds withheld since last fall must be released while the legal challenge from New York, New Jersey, and the Gateway Development Commission continues. This order allows construction to proceed in the short term.
Since returning to office, Trump has sought to place his name on several landmarks and initiatives. On Feb. 5, he launched a website that offers lower-cost prescription drugs, dubbed TrumpRX. Additionally, he proposed a $5 million pathway to permanent residence and eventual citizenship, known as the Trump Gold Cards.
In December, Trump renamed the U.S. Institute of Peace to the “Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.” The institute, established by Congress in 1984, is an independent, nonprofit organization.
Though the Trump administration took over the institute, dismissed its leadership and most staff, and added Trump’s name to the building, the organization was not legally dissolved. A federal district court ruled in May 2025 that the administration’s takeover was illegal, a ruling that is currently on hold pending appeal. The building remains under government control while the litigation is ongoing.
In the same month, Trump’s chosen board approved the addition of his name to the Kennedy Center, which faced objections from the Kennedy family. Trump plans to erect a 250-foot arch on the opposite side of the river from Washington, D.C.
The Gateway tunnel project is one of the most important infrastructure initiatives in the Northeast corridor. The existing tunnel, which transports hundreds of thousands of daily commuters between New Jersey and New York, is crucial for the regional economy, according to transportation experts.
Penn Station in New York is one of the country’s busiest transportation hubs, catering to hundreds of thousands of daily commuters.
The deadlock over the Gateway funding occurs at a time when infrastructure investment is a bipartisan priority in Washington, though disagreements remain over its execution and oversight. The Biden administration’s infrastructure legislation has provided substantial funding for transportation projects nationwide, including the Gateway tunnel.
There have also been proposals to rename Palm Beach International Airport in Florida to incorporate Trump’s name.