U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (D-11), the Democratic nominee for governor, was joined by electeds such as Hudson County Executive Craig Guy and state Senator Raj Mukherji (D-32), to decry President Donald Trump (R) for saying the Gateway project is “terminated.”
By John Heinis/Hudson County View
“The Gateway Tunnel project is critical to our communities. For too long we’ve had to deal with congestion, excessive pollution, and our commuters have been left stranded by cancelled trains — Gateway proposes a solution to all of it and reduce the amount of vehicles on our Hudson County streets, thus making them safer,” Guy said at a presser at the Secaucus Junction this morning.
“To terminate this desperately needed upgrade to our tunnel system after we already broke ground makes no sense — it’s a waste of billions of dollars.”
The Gateway Tunnel, a longstanding $16 billion project to connect Hudson County to New York City’s Penn Station, has been touted as a project that would bring $42.8 billion of economic activity and nearly 100,000 jobs.
Yesterday, Trump characterized the ambitious infrastructure endeavor as a pet project of U.S. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and indicated he was pulling the plug.
“This is not only jobs. I mean the project in Manhattan, the project in New York. It’s billions and billions of dollars that Schumer has worked 20 years to get. It’s terminated. Tell him it’s terminated,” Trump said on Wednesday.
” … We need a governor who will fight to protect the rule of law and our infrastructure from arbitrary, unlawful acts of political revenge; we need a governor who’s not afraid to stand up to the Administration and we need bold, aggressive leadership like Mikie has shown on this project. Make no mistake: she will get the job done,” Mukherji said in Secaucus today.
Sherrill is competing against Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli, who has Trump’s endorsement, and she has been highly critical of that relationship, contending that her opponent will put the White House’s agenda first, not New Jersey residents.
” … This is a huge quality of life issue, which is the main reason I fight so hard for it. So look: This tunnel project can be responsible for almost 100,000 jobs in the region. That’s what’s at stake. If we see delays on this, it’s a million dollars a day we’ll be paying,” the congresswoman said today.
“And then, should the president be able to illegally stop funding until we can claw it back, then that’s going to raise prices because his tariffs are raising costs on everything. And so once we get shovels back in the ground after any delay, the price will only go up. So that’s why we’re here today.”
Back in May, Sherrill penned an editorial to HCV explaining why she’s committed to seeing the Gateway project through as governor.
On Wednesday, Ciattarelli wrote on X that he would ensure that the Gateway Tunnel is completed if he is elected.
“New Jersey needs a Governor who has the standing to work with, and when necessary disagree with, the President and advocate for New Jersey’s fair share of federal tax dollars – including the Gateway Tunnel,” he said.
“This is a critical infrastructure project and I will fight to get it done.”
Other electeds in attendance included Secaucus Mayor Michael Gonnelli, Assemblyman Gabriel Rodriguez (D-33), Bloomfield Mayor Jenny Mundell, and Passaic County Commissioner John Bartlett.
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Even Mr. Ciattarelli, who gave Trump “an A” at a recent debate with Congresswoman Sherrill, and very apparently disagrees with Trump’s politically motivated cancellation of this vital, bipartisan Gateway Tunnel Project, cannot get out of the way of the vindictive and petty Trump. Trump, with this senseless move, has guaranteed, that if Congresswoman Sherrill can turn out her base and the many independents who support the Gateway Tunnel, she is assured of making Mr. Ciattarelli a thre-time-loser.