The Gateway Development Commission, the organization building the new Hudson River rail tunnels between New Jersey and New York, announced this week that the project will come to a complete halt on Feb. 6 unless they receive promised federal funding. Last fall, President Donald Trump terminated the project, saying his administration is getting rid of programs that they “didn’t like.”
“We’re terminating those programs, and they’re going to be terminated on a permanent basis. … It’s billions and billions of dollars that [New York U.S. Sen. Chuck] Schumer has worked 20 years to get. It’s terminated. Tell him it’s terminated,” Trump said.
The announcement was made Oct. 15 after Democrats, led by Schumer, rejected a stopgap spending bill to reopen the government during the shutdown.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill released a statement this week that sharply criticized Trump for terminating the project.
“The president’s refusal to fund the Gateway Tunnel project is not only an illegal attack on New Jersey but also shows a reckless disregard for our economy and the livelihoods of working families,” she said…
Rutgers University economist James Hughes, dean emeritus of the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy, said if the project is not completed it will cause a serious negative shockwave for the entire northeastern United States.
“The Northeast region’s economy is really dependent on the Northeast corridor, particularly linking Washington, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York and Boston,” he said. “Once you stop a project it’s very difficult to start again.”
Sherrill promised that “New Jersey will fight tooth and nail for our hard-earned tax dollars and this essential project that will make commutes easier and improve quality of life for residents in the Garden State.”