Trump administration says it will pause funding, which could threaten Cape Cod bridge replacement

A top Trump official said the federal government planned to “immediately” pause, and potentially cancel, billions of dollars for U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects across the country, including Boston. Democratic leaders in Massachusetts expressed concern this could affect the Cape Cod bridge replacement projects.

U.S. Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought said Friday that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers would be “immediately pausing over $11 billion in lower-priority projects and considering them for cancellation” as a result of the federal government shutdown.

He pointed to unnamed initiatives in New York, San Francisco, Boston and Baltimore.

In a social media post Vought blamed what Republicans are calling the "Democrat shutdown," and said it "has drained the Army Corps of Engineers' ability to manage billions of dollars in projects."

In a statement hours after Vought’s post, Gov. Maura Healey, U.S. Sens. Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren, and U.S. Rep. Bill Keating said they had not received official notification about whether cash would dry up for the bridges.

“While we are aware that the White House Office of Management and Budget tweeted that the Trump administration is pausing $11 billion in U.S. Army Corps of Engineers projects, we have not received any information from the federal government regarding this action,” the four elected officials said in a statement.

They said the Cape Cod Bridges are federally owned assets that carry millions of travelers a year, and are essential for the safety of residents and visitors of Cape Cod.

The project, the officials said, is moving forward with funding “appropriated by a bipartisan Congress and lawfully awarded by the federal government.”

They said their focus "remains on rebuilding both bridges and delivering the safe, reliable transportation infrastructure that our residents, visitors, and businesses deserve.”

A spokeswoman for Healey said it was unknown Friday night if the bridge funding would be restored when Congress ultimately reopens the government.

The Sagamore and Bourne bridges are operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and provide the only means of vehicular access and emergency evacuation from Cape Cod to the Massachusetts mainland, they said.

Lawmakers at the federal, state, and local levels have worked for years to find funding to replace the aging bridges, which the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has long declared are “functionally obsolete.”

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation says the decades-old bridges require frequent maintenance and no longer meet the needs of the traveling public.

Healey and the state’s Congressional delegation have pulled in $1.72 billion in federal funding to replace the bridges, including $350 million from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The Healey administration pledged double that amount, more than $700 million, to rebuild them.

State officials also signed an agreement with the U.S. Department of the Army and Federal Highway Administration to transfer $350 million from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to the Federal Highway Administration and move forward with rebuilding the Sagamore Bridge.

State Sen. Dylan Fernandes, a Falmouth Democrat, said it was “deeply concerning” that the Trump administration is attempting to “steal funds dedicated to the Cape Bridge project.”

“Trump and Congressional Republicans couldn't care less about the lives of Cape and Islanders, and this cut could do irreparable damage to our region," Fernandes said in a statement. "This action by the Trump administration threatens to close the Cape bridges, and we are going to fight back to ensure Cape and islanders have safe and reliable transportation access."