Judge Orders Trump to End Efforts to Kill Hudson Tunnel Funding

Key Points:

• A federal judge ordered the Trump administration to permanently cease efforts to suspend funding for the $16 billion Gateway rail tunnel project under the Hudson River, calling the suspension "flagrantly" illegal.
• Judge Jeannette A. Vargas ruled that the administration violated federal guidelines by halting reimbursements to the tunnel builders in September, which led to a construction shutdown and layoffs of about 1,000 workers.
• The administration claimed the payment suspension was due to a review of hiring practices, but the judge highlighted President Trump's own statements indicating political motives against the project, favored by Senator Chuck Schumer.
• The Gateway project aims to add new tunnels supplementing two aging 116-year-old single-track tunnels between Manhattan and New Jersey, and has been described by Schumer as the most critical infrastructure project in the U.S.
• After federal payments stopped, the project ran out of funds within five months, prompting New York and New Jersey to sue the administration for an emergency order to resume funding.