The U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) signaled it would release tens of millions of dollars to extend the New York Metropolitan Authority’s (MTA) Second Avenue Subway, according to a Politico report. The money, which reimburses the agency for construction costs, is expected to begin flowing early next week. According to the report, POTUS 47 has for months “bottled up promised cash for the project. Administration officials have said they were doing a review of the funds to make sure the MTA was complying with new contracting requirements, but the White House also suggested the money was being held back as an act of retaliation against Democrats.” In a DOT letter—made public moments before a federal judge was set to hear oral arguments in a lawsuit brought by the MTA seeking to unfreeze the money—the POTUS 47 administration said there had been a deal reached to release the funds, according to the Politico report. The letter said it had found “troubling information that MTA contractors considered race and sex as part of its bidding and contract process, but that the transit agency had agreed to make changes.” “In light of MTA’s agreement to take corrective actions, DOT has completed its review and is resuming the processing of reimbursement requests pursuant to normal procedures,” the DOT said. A DOT spokesperson said POTUS 47 and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy had secured a deal so that taxpayer dollars “will not fund unconstitutional DEI initiatives, including illegal race- and sex-based contracts which historically cause project…
