Russell T. Vought, the White House budget director, said $26 billion in previously approved funds were being frozen or cancelled, including $18 billion for New York transportation projects and $8 billion earmarked for clean energy programs across 16 Democratic states. "We're less than a day into this shutdown, and Trump [and] Vought are illegally punishing Democrat-led states," she wrote. The White House, however, defended the funding freeze as a necessary review of what it described as unconstitutional or wasteful spending. The latest moves highlight how the administration is using the fiscal crisis to pursue budget cuts while amplifying partisan divides. The shutdown has already forced essential federal employees to work without pay, halted key services and raised fears of mass layoffs.