Trump Ends $16B Hudson River Tunnel Project, Suspends Food Aid to Millions
President Donald Trump has officially canceled the Hudson River Gateway Tunnel project, a long-awaited infrastructure effort meant to modernize train service between New York and New Jersey. The $16 billion project, which had been slated to receive more than $11 billion in federal support, is now among several major Democratic-backed initiatives cut amid the ongoing government shutdown.
Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, said the shutdown prompted him to eliminate certain projects, including the Gateway Tunnel, which he described as a longtime priority of Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer.
“Russell Vought [head of the Office of Management and Budget] is really terminating tremendous numbers of Democrat projects,” Trump said. “The project in New York—it’s billions and billions of dollars that Schumer has worked 20 years to get. It’s terminated.”
According to The New York Times, roughly $28 billion in federal funding has been withdrawn from Democratic-leaning states so far, compared with about $738 million from Republican-controlled districts.
The Gateway Tunnel plan included construction of nine miles of new track, a new two-tube tunnel under the Hudson River, and rehabilitation of the existing 115-year-old tunnel—a critical part of the Northeast Corridor that was damaged during Superstorm Sandy. The project was expected to create 95,000 jobs, generate nearly $20 billion in economic activity, and serve more than 200,000 daily rail passengers once completed.
Backlash from State Leaders
Schumer called the move “petty revenge politics,” warning that it would disrupt commuter travel, weaken the economy, and cost good-paying union jobs.
Governor Kathy Hochul also criticized the decision, calling it a blow not just to New York but to the entire Northeastern transportation system.
“This is not sticking it to New York,” Hochul said in an MSNBC interview. “These tunnels are over 100 years old and were damaged by Sandy. If this system collapses, the Northeastern economy—and the economy of the country—collapses. Why be so shortsighted?”
SNAP Benefits Also Targeted
In a separate announcement, Hochul said the Trump administration is also preparing to cut off Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for nearly three million New Yorkers beginning November 1, as part of a nationwide rollback in food assistance.
The governor’s office estimates that 82,509 residents in New York’s 16th Congressional District, represented by Rep. George Latimer, and 66,704 residents in the 17th District, represented by Rep. Mike Lawler, would lose access to food aid.
“I’m outraged that Washington Republicans are deliberately withholding funding from millions of New Yorkers who rely on SNAP to put food on the table,” Hochul said. “This is a cruel and politically motivated punishment. Lives depend on this.”
Hochul called on Congress to intervene and restore both infrastructure and food funding, warning that the combined cuts could have lasting effects on New York’s economy and working families.
