WASHINGTON — President Trump said Monday that he would not permit the federal government to cover any cost overruns from the ambitious Gateway tunnel project to expand and renovate the Northeast Corridor rail line between Newark and New York City.
“I am opposed to the future boondoggle known as ‘Gateway,’ in New York/New Jersey, because it will cost many BILLIONS OF DOLLARS more than projected or anticipated, much like Gavin Newscum’s ‘Railroad’ to nowhere, which is many times over budget, with no end in sight,” Trump chided on Truth Social.
“Gateway will likewise be financially catastrophic for the region, unless hard work and proper planning is done, NOW, to avoid insurmountable future cost overruns,” he continued. “Under no circumstances, will the Federal Government be responsible for ANY COST OVERRUNS – NOT ONE DOLLAR!
“The Federal Government is willing to meet, however, to make sure that this does not happen!”
During the government shutdown fight this past fall, Trump ordered the freezing of federal funds for the project in apparent retaliation for Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) pushing for the suspension of operations.
Construction was initially able to continue thanks to a line of credit that ran out Feb. 6. That same day, a Manhattan federal judge ordered $16 billion to be restored to the project.
Work on the Gateway project has spanned five sites across New York and New Jersey. The existing tunnels are more than a century old and were badly impacted by Superstorm Sandy in 2012.
The connection between New York City and New Jersey is the busiest rail passageway in the country, and the Obama administration deemed Gateway one of the most important infrastructure projects in America.
Privately, Trump and Schumer broached the topic of renaming New York’s Penn Station and Washington’s Dulles International Airport after the president during a discussion about unlocking funds for the tunnel last month, a source with knowledge of the discussion told The Post.
“The naming of PENN Station (I LOVE Pennsylvania, but it is a direct competitor to New York, and ‘eating New York’s lunch!’) to TRUMP STATION, was brought up by certain politicians and construction union heads, not me,” Trump added on Truth Social Monday.
During his second term, Trump — who emblazoned his name on scores of properties during his real estate days — has had a series of marquee federal buildings renamed after him, including the Kennedy Center and the Institute of Peace.
The president has also intervened in other key infrastructure projects, vetoing a bipartisan bill last year to finish the Arkansas Valley Conduit Act, which would bring clean drinking water to rural communities in the Eastern Plains of Colorado.
Just last week, Trump threatened to prevent the new Gordie Howe International Bridge between Detroit and Windsor, Ont. from opening amid trade friction with Canada.