Gateway logjam has relatively simple fix

When the Trump administration first threatened in October to withhold funding for the monumental effort to build a new rail tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey under the Hudson River, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought blamed “unconstitutional DEI principles” for the decision.

It was announced at the start of the fall government shutdown.

Weeks later, President Donald Trump said the Gateway project, as it is known, was “terminated,” blaming Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, who led the shutdown.

Now, such talk is becoming a worrisome reality, as Gateway is running out of money. Work has slowed and construction will stop by Feb. 6 unless the funding flows. Again, Trump has blamed Schumer, as a shutdown looms once more.

Any stop to Gateway would be a colossal mistake.

Plans to construct a new Hudson River train tunnel have been in the works for decades. But officials have never been closer to building it than they are right now. Tens of thousands of square feet of the Hudson River’s riverbed have been stabilized. Parts for the massive tunnel-boring machines, built in Germany, are in New Jersey — ready to be assembled and start the drilling. Schumer already secured the necessary funds and they’re ready to go if Trump releases them. And the $1 billion already spent will go to waste if it’s not completed.

Gateway’s importance is impossible to overstate. The existing train tunnels are more than 100 years old. Superstorm Sandy’s saltwater intrusion made a bad situation much worse. Already, train travelers have seen service problems and emergency repairs. If the tunnels fail entirely, it would be catastrophic. And that description doesn’t include any loss of life. The Northeast Corridor, and the regional and national economies, depend upon those decrepit tunnels. Amtrak, the national railroad that owns the tunnels, has said if one falters, the ripple effects would be enormous.

Besides removing the old tunnels, Gateway will result in tens of thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in economic benefits — for the corridor and for the rest of the region, including Long Island.

In a recent social media post, Trump blamed Schumer for “holding up the Gateway Project.” But there’s only one person to blame — and that’s Trump.

Yet that also means there’s a relatively simple fix. Trump built his success on the New York City economy. He understands the economic importance of Gateway. If the tunnels fail, the region and nation could falter. If Gateway succeeds — and it can if the president provides the funding — the region and nation can succeed, too.

Trump must not hold Gateway hostage in any political battle. His fellow business executives who have Trump’s ear can help. And Gov. Kathy Hochul, who promised to “fight like hell to ensure [Gateway] gets built,” has attempted to establish a good working relationship with Trump. Perhaps she can use that leverage and remind Trump he can take credit for saving the rail system in the Northeast.