President Donald Trump floated renaming Washington Dulles International Airport and New York’s Penn Station after himself in exchange for releasing federal funding for the Gateway tunnel project, according to multiple sources who spoke to NBC News, after the proposal was first reported by Punchbowl News.
Why It Matters
The Gateway Development Project is a multibillion-dollar rail initiative viewed as critical to Northeast Corridor travel and the regional economy. Delays in releasing federal funds could threaten construction timelines, disrupt service planning, and put union jobs at risk.
What To Know
Trump administration officials made the naming request to Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, a New York Democrat, while federal dollars for Gateway remained frozen despite the government’s reopening and Congress passing full appropriations, NBC reported.
Newsweek emailed the White House and Schumer’s office for comment outside of normal working hours.
The administration halted funding at the start of last fall’s federal shutdown and has not released it even after appropriations cleared this week.
The Gateway program totals about $16.1 billion and includes a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River connecting New Jersey and New York, with the Biden administration in 2024 agreeing to provide an additional $6.9 billion before funding was later frozen by the current administration.
In October 2025, White House budget director Russell Vought said he stopped funding some infrastructure projects to ensure money was not used on what he called unconstitutional diversity, equity and inclusion principles, according to NBC News’ account of his prior comments.
New York and New Jersey have sued to force the release of appropriated funds and warned that construction would soon halt without federal support, risking thousands of layoffs, with the project saying money runs out Friday.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s press office suggested a tongue-in-cheek counter offer in a X post, depicting an image of Trump Tower renamed Hochul Tower.
Trump’s Naming Push Since Returning to Office
Trump and his allies have moved to attach his name to agencies, venues, and initiatives in his second term, including launching a prescription drug website called TrumpRX and proposing a $5 million pathway to permanent residence branded as Trump Gold Cards.
In December, the administration renamed the U.S. Institute of Peace, and Trump’s name was added to the Kennedy Center via a board vote, actions that drew pushback from the Kennedy family and prompted lawsuits and performance cancellations.
There was also a Republican House bill to rename Dulles after Trump and a Florida state proposal to add his name to Palm Beach International Airport, though those efforts have not advanced.
What People Are Saying
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand, a New York Democrat on the Appropriations Committee, criticized the idea in a statement: “This is ridiculous. These naming rights aren’t tradable as part of any negotiations, and neither is the dignity of New Yorkers.”
“I demand that [the] president put people first and unfreeze this project and all the others his administration has been holding hostage for his personal gain,” she added.
Representative Ritchie Torres, a New York Democrat whose district is affected by the project, told Axios: “Trump is pathologically petty and cannot be trusted to keep his word. There is no point in yielding to his ever-changing ransom demands.”
Representative Suhas Subramanyam, a Virginia Democrat who partially represents Dulles, said: “Instead of lowering costs, President Trump is holding critical infrastructure funding hostage for more vanity projects,” vowing to “fight any effort to even remotely consider renaming Dulles Airport.”
New York Democratic Representative Jerry Nadler wrote in a post on X: “[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.”
Representative Riley Moore, a West Virginia Republican who previously co-sponsored a bill to rename Dulles after Trump, praised the reported proposal in a text to Axios: “💯 let’s put his name on it. One [of] the greatest Presidents in US history.”
What Happens Next
Courts will address lawsuits filed by New York and New Jersey seeking to compel the administration to release appropriated funds, and project leaders will announce whether work will pause if the money is not restored by the stated deadline.
