Chicago Transit Authority Sues To Restore Billions In Federal Funding

The Chicago Transit Authority sued the Trump administration on Friday to claw back billions in federal funding that the White House froze amid a lengthy federal shutdown last year.

Blasting the White House’s maneuver as “political retaliation,” CTA alleged in its complaint that it was part of an effort by President Donald Trump and Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought to punish Democrats for their role in starting the government shutdown last October.

“Indeed, in the days before and after Defendants froze CTA’s funds, the Administration made clear its desire to single out for adverse treatment those jurisdictions and programs affiliated with leaders from a different political party,” CTA wrote.

At issue are more than $2 billion in federal money for expansion and maintenance of the city’s red and purple lines. Without it, “work on CTA’s crucial infrastructure projects is set to grind to a halt,” the lawsuit contended.

“Demobilization and work stoppages will lead to a cascade of negative consequences affecting CTA, its ridership, and the greater Chicago area,” the CTA wrote. “Among others: Hundreds of people will soon be out of work, and thousands of future jobs will be jeopardized, if not eliminated.”

The White House targeted Chicago, arguing the CTA had contravened new federal standards clamping down on diversity, equity and inclusion practices in contracting processes. The move came just after the administration employed a similar justification to pause $18 billion in federal funding for two major rail tunnel projects in New York City and New Jersey. But the New York, New Jersey and Chicago transit projects were the only ones that saw their funding frozen by the administration in the wake of the new rules, the CTA wrote in its complaint.

In the early days of last year’s shutdown, Trump made it clear the White House would turn the screws on institutions popular with Democrats, such as climate-related projects in Democrat-run states. Federal workers were laid off.

“We’re only cutting Democrat programs, I hate to tell you, but we are cutting Democrat programs,” he said in an October Cabinet meeting. “We will be cutting some very popular Democrat programs that aren’t popular with Republicans, frankly.”

The lawsuit, filed in the Northern District of Illinois, lists the Federal Transit Agency and Department of Transportation as defendants.

The FTA did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the lawsuit.