WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Representative Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09) released the following statement in response to reports that President Trump is seeking to block federal funding for the Gateway Tunnel project: “Just this week, I stood shoulder to shoulder with my Democratic and Republican colleagues in support of funding for the Gateway Tunnel. In the House, we have been led by my friend, Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen, whose efforts have been indefatigable.

"In an era when bipartisan displays are as rare as unicorns, this is no small feat. Representatives from both parties, from New Jersey, New York, and across the country recognize that the construction of Gateway is fundamental to our future.

“When the ARC Tunnel was killed in 2010 by my state’s governor in order to engorge his bloated ambition, it was an almost impossible pill to swallow. That Trump would attempt the same action eight years later is unendurable. Failure to build Gateway will negatively impact generations of residents up and down the eastern seaboard. That's tens of millions of people. The lives of young families, ambitious professionals, budding entrepreneurs, and countless working Americans will be cut short or simply never realized if we do not see this lifeblood resource through.

“A report Friday night describes Donald Trump’s secret orders to hold up one of the most important infrastructure projects in the nation, for no reason other than the mindless arson and petty spite we have come to associate with this president.

“This is a dispiriting setback, but none of us will be deterred. We will fight and finish the job. Together.”