President Trump suggests Gateway Tunnel project is "terminated" as local lawmakers vow to fight for funding
President Trump seemed to announce the Gateway Tunnel project in New York and New Jersey has been "terminated," though it was not immediately clear if the project has been formally defunded.
The Gateway Tunnel project secured billions of dollars in federal funding last year to replace the decades-old tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey under the Hudson River.
During a press conference Wednesday, however, Mr. Trump suggested the project has been canceled by the director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget.
"Russell Vought is really terminating tremendous numbers of Democrat projects ... I mean, the project in Manhattan, the project in New York. It's billions and billions of dollars that [Sen. Chuck] Schumer has worked 20 years to get. It's terminated. Tell him it's terminated," Mr. Trump said.
Earlier this month, the Trump administration froze federal funding for both the Gateway Tunnel project and the Second Avenue Subway project, saying they needed to undergo a review that would be delayed by the government shutdown.
A spokesperson for the Gateway Project declined to comment on the overall matter, but told CBS News New York the construction continues.
Lawmakers react to Trump's comments on Gateway Tunnel project
New York and New Jersey lawmakers were quick to respond, saying they will fight to keep the funding.
"Gateway is the most important infrastructure project in America—period. It will keep our economy moving, our region connected, and tens of thousands of union workers on the job," Schumer said in a statement. "Donald Trump trying to kill it again is pure spite and stupidity. It's petty revenge politics that would screw hundreds of thousands of New York and New Jersey commuters, choke off our economy, and kill good-paying jobs. It's vindictive, reckless, and foolish."
Gov. Kathy Hochul also blasted the move.
"This is not sticking it to New York. This is the northeastern corridor. To make sure that our tunnels are safe. They were damaged by Superstorm Sandy. They're over 100 years old," she said in an interview on MSNBC. "We need to replace them because if this system of transportation collapses, the northeastern economy and the economy of the country collapse. So why be so short-sighted?"
In a joint statement, New Jersey Senators Cory Booker and Andy Kim wrote in part, "It's a project that has had broad bipartisan support, including from [Mr. Trump's] own Secretary of Transportation, who called it, 'important' just days ago. We will fight to keep this funding, we will fight to keep the thousands of union jobs it supports, and we will fight to ensure that the better future that Gateway promises for our entire region is fully realized."
"President Trump is taking a sledgehammer to one of the most important infrastructure projects in the entire country. And with that, he's taking a sledgehammer to tens of thousands of jobs, to our economy, to labor, and to American competitiveness," New Jersey Rep. Josh Gottheimer said, in part. "I hope both Republicans and Democrats in New Jersey and New York stand with me in fighting back. We cannot let partisan chaos take a wrecking ball to Gateway."