1. United States
2. Pa.
3. Letter

I am writing to urge you to support the immediate and unconditional release of $16 billion in federal funding for the Gateway Tunnel project. The recent temporary restraining order issued by U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas should not have been necessary to protect this critical infrastructure investment from politically motivated interference. The Gateway Tunnel project is one of the most important infrastructure initiatives in the nation, connecting New York and New Jersey under the Hudson River. This $15 billion project is expected to generate nearly $20 billion in economic activity and sustain 90,000 jobs. Approximately 1,000 construction workers were on the verge of losing their jobs when funding was set to run out on Friday before the court intervened. The Trump administration froze this funding in September, initially citing a government shutdown and later claiming a compliance review. The Gateway Development Commission confirmed it had complied with all administration requests by January, yet the funding remained frozen. As New Jersey Deputy Solicitor General Shankar Duraiswamy noted in court, withholding these funds would "torpedo the entire project," and "there is literally a massive hole in the earth in North Bergen, New Jersey that must be secured." Reports indicate that President Trump suggested he would unfreeze the funding if Senator Chuck Schumer supports renaming Penn Station and Dulles Airport after him. This is not how federal infrastructure funding should work. Taxpayer dollars allocated through proper legislative channels should not be held hostage for personal vanity projects. As Robert Campos of Laborers Local 472 warned, "the last time this project was stalled, it took 17 years to get it restarted. Our members and our country cannot afford to wait another 17 years." I urge you to publicly oppose any conditions on Gateway funding beyond legitimate compliance requirements and to advocate for the immediate release of these critical federal dollars. Workers and commuters in our region deserve better than this.