N.J. Democrats say Gateway funding should be a priority in Congress

The Gateway Project has been at a standstill since President Trump walked back on an Obama era deal to cover half the cost. Democrats in New Jersey’s congressional delegation believe they’ll have leverage in the House of Representatives come January through party control, but Congressman Josh Gottheimer said he’s cautiously optimistic.

“I’ve learned a long time ago that you can’t make these kinds of predictions,” Gottheimer said. “I know we’re going to fight hard for it. We’re on good footing. There’re good indicators and so we have to fight for it. You’ve got two tunnels that are literally crumbling. It’s a several hundred million dollar hit on the economy if they go down. We can’t afford a delay.”

Congressman-elect Tom Malinowski said it’s time to build bridges, not walls.

“For two years we’ve been asking President Trump to do this. The more he feels we want it the higher the price gets. I think that’s the way he does business,” Malinowski said.

Other Democrats including Governor Andrew Cuomo in New York are asking the federal government to agree on a deal to fund the Gateway Project.