President Trump is under fire from Democrats in New York and New Jersey for failing to include any funding in his proposed fiscal year 2020 budget for the Gateway Program, a group of projects designed to repair rail connections between New York and New Jersey.
According to the Trump administration, the $30 billion Gateway project should be funded by the state and local governments, not the federal government. The project includes upgrading two North River Tunnels under the Hudson River that connect train riders from New Jersey to Penn Station in New York, along with an overhaul of the Portal North Bridge over New Jersey’s Hackensack River.
“Those transit projects are local responsibilities, and elected officials from New York and New Jersey are the ones accountable for them,” Deputy Transportation Secretary Jeffrey Rosen told reporters earlier this month.
Although New York and New Jersey have already committed $6 billion to the projects, Rosen said the ventures are “projects that those communities themselves have thus far chosen not to fund.”
“There is no reason for the federal government to have those projects jump the line and receive massive federal subsidies for projects that presently are ineligible and which lack realistic plans and commitments,” Rosen said.
The Trump administration’s attitude toward the projects stands in stark contrast to the Obama administration’s, which said the federal government would share costs with state and local governments.
[Related: Cuomo unleashes anti-Trump tirade after feds downgrade priority of $30B infrastructure project]
In response to Trump’s budget request, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York and Sens. Cory Booker and Bob Menendez of New Jersey met with leaders of the rail projects earlier this month to hash out an idea from Schumer to expedite the project.
Schumer’s proposal would call on New York and New Jersey governors to advance spending for the project immediately. A provision to reimburse the states would be wrapped into a piece of legislation Trump “would have to sign,” according to Schumer.
After the meeting, Booker said all options were on the table for completing the tunnels and rail upgrades, including naming the tunnels after the president.
“Whatever it takes. We’ll name this the Trump Tunnel if necessary,” Booker said after the meeting. “I don’t care, this is not about ego.”
Democrats are also fuming about the Federal Transit Administration annual report released this month, which designated the proposed Portal North Bridge and Gateway rail tunnels as a “medium-low” priority. The report is for the Capital Investment Grants program submitted to Congress, and such a rating disqualifies the projects from receiving federal grants.
“In fact, it’s just the latest Trumped-up excuse for this Administration to deny our region the vital funding we need to ensure the safety and reliability of a transportation lifeline for one-fifth of the entire U.S. economy,” Menendez said in a statement in March.
“Let me be very clear: This President is playing politics with a transportation ticking time bomb,” Menendez said.
While most of the ire toward Trump has come from Democrats, Republican Rep. Peter King of New York teamed up with Democratic Rep. Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey and unveiled new legislation that would require the Department of Transportation to release a contingency plan in the event of a “doomsday” scenario in which one or both of the North River Tunnels are shut down. The tunnels, which were damaged in Hurricane Sandy, transport approximately 200,000 riders every day.
“These tunnels are a vital and irreplaceable conduit for our nation’s economy,” King said in a statement. “Ensuring its maintenance, safety and reliability is a national concern and responsibility. It is too precarious a situation for human lives and economic devastation. A plan and answer is needed.”
Regardless, Menendez has vowed that the Gateway project will be completed, but he urged Trump to back the project to avoid a major catastrophe.
“We will get Gateway done. The commitment and resolve from our federal delegation and local partners are unwavering,” Menendez said in a statement. “But we can get it done faster, cheaper, and better for everyone with this President on board. If President Trump wants to risk the century-old Portal Bridge someday never closing or one of the Hudson River rail tunnels failing due to another bad storm like Sandy — he alone will own it.”
