President Trump has reportedly been urging Republican lawmakers to oppose funding for a major railway project to spite his Democratic rivals, The New York Times reports.
The so-called Gateway project, which would see a rail tunnel constructed to connect New York and New Jersey, has been a top priority in the region for years and is expected to be included in an upcoming spending bill. But Trump personally called on Speaker Paul Ryan to come out against funding the $30 billion project earlier this week, the Washington Post first reported Friday.
His opposition to the tunnel—which is meant to replace aging infrastructure in urgent need of an overhaul—first became clear in December, when local authorities were informed the deal earlier reached under Obama for the project was now “nonexistent.”
Trump’s recent arguments against the project have reportedly taken on a personal tone, however. According to sources cited by the Times, Trump has told Republicans the project should be blocked partly to get back at Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who has regularly blocked Trump’s nominees. Read more at the NEW YORK TIMES.
{Matzav.com}
As a commuter from NJ to Manhattan I think the only way this project will get done is if NJ agrees to pay more than a quarter of the cost.
Like Obama did, all sorts of politicians will pay lip service to sharing the costs whenever it suits their purposes. However the group who will benefit the most from this project by far is those who live in NJ and commute to work in Manhattan.Therefore NJ politicians are the only ones under any real pressure to spend billions and billions of dollars for it to happen.
If they think NYS is going to pay twenty five percent and the federal government will pay another fifty percent forthem it just won’t end up happening.
The real question is why does it cost so much????
Has anyone realized that the more technology we have the less we build!
Look what the people in the 1800s build, a Brooklyn Bridge. When that bridge was built there were no cars, trucks trailers or cranes, yet they somehow built a bridge we’re trains and trucks can go, for the better part of a century..
If we had the will power of the people of yesteryear we would already have multiple bridges and tunnels from NJ to NYC and even to Brooklyn…
Some one stop this bureaucracy madness!
I agree with trump. They shouldn’t do it. Firstly it’s not necessary secondly these stupid local liberals like Schumer and deblazio and now Murphy should get in line first
How much will it cost the middle class taxpayer? How much of his hard earned salary will he have to depart with?