WASHINGTON — The Trump administration has sought to pressure Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., the minority leader, to help name New York’s Penn Station and Washington Dulles International Airport after President Donald Trump in exchange for releasing billions of dollars he has frozen for a rail tunnel under the Hudson River.
Top administration officials have told Schumer in recent weeks that the money would be released if he agreed to name the facilities in Trump’s honor, according to four people familiar with the private conversations. The people spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to reveal the private discussions.
The push to rename the station and the airport for Trump comes as the president, who recently put his name on the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, has been on a renaming spree and has appeared increasingly preoccupied with his legacy.
The Trump administration began withholding funds for the new tunnel connecting New York City and New Jersey, a $16 billion project, in October. The agency overseeing its construction moved to halt ongoing work Friday as money was running out.
Trump and Schumer met at the White House last month to discuss the frozen funds.