The Trump administration has withheld $2.1 billion in funding for Chicago’s transit system, further straining relations between the federal government and Democratic-led cities as the shutdown continues.

Budget director Russ Vought said the money, earmarked for elevated train lines, had been put on hold to ensure it was not “flowing via race-based contracting.”

The administration has now frozen at least $28 billion in funding for Democratic cities and states, escalating Trump’s campaign to use the extraordinary power of the U.S. government to punish political rivals.

He has also threatened to fire more federal workers, beyond the 300,000 he is forcing out this year, and a White House source speaking on condition of anonymity said dozens of agencies have submitted workforce reduction p

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