House Democrats erupted Thursday after reports that President Donald Trump floated renaming Washington Dulles International Airport and New York’s Pennsylvania Station after himself as a condition for releasing $16 billion in federal funding for the Gateway Development Project.
The proposal was conveyed by Trump administration officials to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, according to multiple sources who spoke to Punchbowl News and confirmed by other outlets. Schumer rejected the overture outright, with a source close to him saying there was “nothing to trade.”
The Gateway project centers on long-delayed infrastructure upgrades in the Northeast Corridor, including construction of a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River linking New York and New Jersey—an effort aimed at expanding capacity and improving reliability on one of the nation’s most heavily used rail routes.
Democrats whose districts would directly benefit from the project responded with sharp criticism. Rep. Ritchie Torres, whose New York City district is affected by the initiative, said in a statement, “Trump is pathologically petty and cannot be trusted to keep his word.” He added, “There is no point in yielding to his ever-changing ransom demands,” and warned that “Donald Trump is willing to sabotage the nation’s most important infrastructure projects for no reason other than malignant narcissism.”
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, whose district includes communities near Dulles Airport, said, “Instead of lowering costs, President Trump is holding critical infrastructure funding hostage for more vanity projects.” Subramanyam pledged to “fight any effort to even remotely consider renaming Dulles Airport after a President who has been a disaster for Virginians,” adding, “so should every other Democrat.”
The episode fits a broader pattern since Trump’s return to office, as he and his allies have pushed to rename prominent institutions and landmarks in his honor. Reported examples include renaming the Kennedy Center as the “Trump-Kennedy Center” and the U.S. Institute of Peace as the “Donald J. Trump Institute of Peace.” Republican lawmakers have also introduced legislation to rename Dulles after Trump, feature his image on the $100 bill, and rebrand a $1,000 baby bond program as “Trump accounts.”
On the Republican side, Rep. Riley Moore, a co-sponsor of legislation to rename Dulles, embraced the idea, texting in response to questions, “let’s put his name on it,” and describing Trump as “One the greatest Presidents in US history.”
The standoff over Gateway funding remains unresolved, with New York and New Jersey pursuing legal action against the administration over the freeze on federal resources. The White House has not publicly commented on the reported proposal.
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