Chicago City Wire

Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson has responded to the decision by the White House Office of Management and Budget to withhold $2.1 billion in federal funding previously allocated for public transit improvements in Chicago. The affected projects include the Red Line Extension and the Red and Purple Modernization Project.

In a statement, Mayor Johnson criticized the move, saying: “Argentina gets $20 billion and the South Side gets nothing. What happened to America First?

“South Siders have waited for more than 50 years for the Red Line Extension. This project will bring 25,000 jobs to the Chicago area and billions in new development. The Red Line Extension is the single largest investment in the Far South Side in a generation. This is about Roseland and Altgeld Gardens and West Pullman and Riverdale and Woodlawn. One fourth of the residents in the area live below the poverty line. The Red Line Extension is about bringing jobs, economic development, and connectivity to the Far South Side, which will benefit our city as a whole.

“Right when we are finally on the brink of moving forward, Trump just cut off the funding. From public safety to public education to public transit, this president is cutting the services that working people rely upon.

“The Red and Purple Modernization Project has already brought tangible improvements for North Side transit riders, including reduced travel times and four brand-new, fully-accessible stations. This work was set to continue in the coming years with additional stations rebuilt to be fully accessible. These improvements would have benefited the more than 175,000 daily riders while increasing economic vitality in the surrounding communities.

“We are calling for these cuts to be immediately reversed, and we will use every tool at our disposal to restore this funding. Chicagoans have waited far too long to turn back now. We will fight to ensure that the Red Line Extension and the Red and Purple Modernization Project move forward.”

The withheld funds were expected to support infrastructure upgrades aimed at improving access for residents on both Chicago’s South Side and North Side neighborhoods through expanded rail service and station accessibility enhancements.