New York Governor Kathy Hochul has confirmed that the federal government released $77m for new tunnels and bridges connecting the state to New Jersey.
The funding, announced on Tuesday, falls short of the amount owed for the transportation project, according to Governor Hochul, who appeared at a construction site alongside union leaders to push for the release of the remaining funds.
The funds were frozen in October amid a record-breaking government shutdown, with the federal government having pledged billions in support for the project, considered vital for transportation and safety reasons.
At stake is the fate of the Northeast Corridor project, a central part of the Gateway Program, an interstate initiative to expand and renovate the aging tunnels linking metropolitan hubs between New York and New Jersey.
Project Background
The Trump administration announced it would suspend $18bn in funding for the project that had already been granted, in a move designed to pressure Democrats to comply with Republican demands to end the shutdown.
Democrats decried the freeze as an act of political revenge, with Representative Jerry Nadler of New York saying it should concern every American that the Trump Administration is willing to harm working families and the nation’s economy to punish Democrats.
The states of New York and New Jersey announced they were suing the Trump administration to release the funds on February 3, warning that construction would be forced to shut down unless federal funding resumed.
Recent Developments
A US district judge ordered the funds to be released on February 6, citing the potential for irreparable harm to the project, and the federal government responded by releasing $30m, in addition to the $77m announced on Tuesday.
Union leader Gary LaBarbera emphasized that new construction is a necessity, saying the existing tunnels are over a hundred years old and their structural integrity has failed.
Governor Hochul used part of her speech to address the president, saying “Let’s stop the chaos. Let’s stop the insanity. Let them work, Mr President,” in a gesture to the workers around her.
International Context
The issue of maintaining safe transportation should be nonpartisan, according to LaBarbera, who said “This isn’t a Republican tunnel or a Democratic tunnel, right? This should not be a political tug of war.”
However, President Trump doubled down on his opposition to the project on his social media platform Truth Social, saying it will cost many billions of dollars more than projected or anticipated.
Source: Al Jazeera
