Gateway Tunnel Funding Stuck in Limbo as Feds Appeal Court Order
A federal judge's order to release $200 million in funds earmarked for the $16 billion Gateway tunnel project has been temporarily stayed, with the Trump administration appealing the ruling. The funding freeze has brought construction on the project's five job sites to a grinding halt, leaving nearly 1,000 workers without jobs.
The administration had withheld funding since October, citing a review of minority- and women-owned businesses requirements, but lawyers for New York and New Jersey claim that was just a pretext. They argue that the real reason for the freeze is to punish New York officials who opposed Trump's demands.
A group of construction workers, including 26-year-old Mike Hellstrom III, who had hoped to spend the next decade working on the project, rallied at the site in North Bergen to demand Trump unfreeze the funds. "I just want to feed my family and build something monumental like this tunnel," Hellstrom said. His sentiments were echoed by Brent Booker, general president of the Laborers' International Union of North America, who warned that Trump's actions would not be tolerated.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer joined the rally, wearing a hard hat and pumping his fist in defiance. "Donald Trump said he wants to cut off the funds to Gateway... We say no way," Schumer said. The White House declined to comment on the matter.
The funding freeze has sparked outrage among workers and officials alike. As construction continues to shut down, officials have warned that work cannot resume until the funding is restored. The project is not expected to be completed until 2035.
A federal judge's order to release $200 million in funds earmarked for the $16 billion Gateway tunnel project has been temporarily stayed, with the Trump administration appealing the ruling. The funding freeze has brought construction on the project's five job sites to a grinding halt, leaving nearly 1,000 workers without jobs.
The administration had withheld funding since October, citing a review of minority- and women-owned businesses requirements, but lawyers for New York and New Jersey claim that was just a pretext. They argue that the real reason for the freeze is to punish New York officials who opposed Trump's demands.
A group of construction workers, including 26-year-old Mike Hellstrom III, who had hoped to spend the next decade working on the project, rallied at the site in North Bergen to demand Trump unfreeze the funds. "I just want to feed my family and build something monumental like this tunnel," Hellstrom said. His sentiments were echoed by Brent Booker, general president of the Laborers' International Union of North America, who warned that Trump's actions would not be tolerated.
U.S. Sen. Chuck Schumer joined the rally, wearing a hard hat and pumping his fist in defiance. "Donald Trump said he wants to cut off the funds to Gateway... We say no way," Schumer said. The White House declined to comment on the matter.
The funding freeze has sparked outrage among workers and officials alike. As construction continues to shut down, officials have warned that work cannot resume until the funding is restored. The project is not expected to be completed until 2035.
it's like they were right in the middle of buildin somethin amazing n then poof all that money just gets taken away by trump's tantrums. i feel so bad for mike hellstrom III he's like just tryna provide 4 his family but instead he's facin this huge uncertainty. and can u believe sen schumer wore a hard hat 2 the rally lol, it's like he really wants 2 show his support 4 those workers 
i guess watever happens with the funding, we jus hope it gets sorted out ASAP so those workers can get back 2 work
the gov't should just give them a break already! it's like, they're trying to build something amazing and you're holding them back over some petty issue 
and what's with the "punishing" NY officials thing? that's just ridiculous 
but instead, trump is making things harder for him. it's like, can't we all just get along? 
. I mean, who needs a functioning tunnel system when you've got politics getting in the way? The whole "reviewing minority- and women-owned businesses requirements" thing sounds like a legit reason to freeze funds... NOT 
. It's more likely that Trump is just trying to make an example out of New York officials for opposing him. Newsflash, Donald: the tunnel's not going anywhere until you sort this mess out 
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. I feel bad for Mike Hellstrom III and his family having to live off scraps while someone else is playing politics. Can't we all just get along... or at least fix this tunnel already? 
Oh man, it's like Trump is playing a bad game of bridge and he forgot how to deal with the workers 
. You'd think Trump would want to build something that'll create jobs, not just freeze the whole thing in its tracks 
, and I'm all like "Yaaas, Chuck, tell 'em how it is!" 
this is insane! $200 million stuck in limbo because of some petty politics? I mean, come on! Those workers are just trying to make a living and feed their families... what's the hold up?! 
. this is getting ridiculous... who cares about minority-owned businesses? Can't we just build the tunnel already?! 
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. And what really gets my goat is that some of these politicians are just using it as an excuse to punish each other 
. Like, come on! Can't we all just get along? 
.
. I mean, we're supposed to be a leader in infrastructure and transportation... but noooo! We can't even get our own tunnel project done 
. I mean, come on, $200 million, that's like peanuts for a project of this magnitude! It's all about politics as usual, folks. Schumer's right, though - we can't let the workers and their families down. And let's not forget, this is just another instance of Trump trying to strong-arm New York officials into getting what he wants 
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And now these workers are getting the shaft - 1,000 people without jobs because of some Trump tantrum. This is just ridiculous. 
This whole thing just got super messy! I mean, come on, $200 million stuck in limbo because of some backdoor deal? It's like they're trying to punish New York officials for not playing nice with Trump's agenda 
it's not just about the workers, it's also about the local economy and all that jazz
they've got families to feed and bills to pay... can't imagine being in their shoes, just waiting for someone to make a decision so they can get back to work 
it's not just about the money though, it's about all the hopes and dreams that are being put on hold with this project 
these workers were looking forward to spending years working on something that would bring the community together... now it feels like that's just going to be a pipe dream 