Uh-oh.
Donald Trump's war of vengeance on all things Chuck Schumer, Hakeem Jeffries and New York took an dark turn on Wednesday when the president flippantly claimed he'd "terminated" the much-needed Gateway commuter rail tunnel under the Hudson River.
"It’s billions and billions of dollars that Schumer has worked 20 years to get. It's terminated," Trump said. "Tell him it’s terminated.”
Gateway has been an urgent concern for the Big Apple and the Garden State for decades as the 100-year-old tunnel under the Hudson River has grown closer and closer to obsolescence. Trump Deputy Transportation Secretary Steven Bradbury acknowledged the project's "national importance" in his confirmation hearing earlier this year, and his boss, Secretary Sean Duffy, insisted earlier this month that the administration was "not trying to shut down these projects."
And yet, here we are.
Unsurprisingly, it's not clear at all what Trump meant when he said the project was "terminated," as the New York Times noted in its coverage. Earlier this month, the White House paused $18 billion in combined funding for Gateway and the next phase of the Second Avenue Subway on the pretense of a "review" of the project's compliance with federal woman- or minority-owned business mandates. The rule that Duffy claimed the project might violate was drawn up just one day before the administration announced the funding hold.
Naturally, everyone in New York and New Jersey is freaking out. New Jersey Sen. Andy Kim called the move "unhinged political retribution." Schumer called it "vindictive, reckless and foolish." Gov. Hochul called it "shortsighted." Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic nominee in next month's New Jersey gubernatorial election said she'd "fight tool and nail to get this funding back," as did her Trump-endorsed Republican opponent Jack Ciattarelli.
Ciattarelli's statement underscored a possible political motive for Trump outside of his ongoing budget negotiations with Schumer — the Republican claimed he is the only candidate for governor who "has the standing to work with and, when necessary, disagree with the president."
The message: If you're not with Trump, watch out. Mayoral frontrunner Zohran Mamdani seemed to be keenly aware of this dynamic when he appeared on Fox News on Wednesday afternoon and addressed the president directly:
"I will not be a mayor like Mayor Adams, who will call you to figure out how to stay out of jail. I won’t be a disgraced governor like Andrew Cuomo, who will call you to ask how to win this election. I can do those things on my own," Mamdani said. "I will, however, be a mayor who is ready to speak at any time to lower the cost of living. ... That’s the partnership that I’m going to build, not only in Washington, D.C., but [with] anyone across this country.”
In other news:
- Watch the non-Israel section of Mamdani's Fox interview here.
- The MTA will launch its environmental review of the Interborough Express with three public meetings in the coming weeks (they're on the Streetsblog calendar, by the way). (MTA, amNY)
- A curb-jumping senior killed another senior and injured two others in Coney Island on Wednesday afternoon. (Brooklyn Paper, PIX11)
- The city is testing out waters off Coney Island for a potential ferry stop. (Brooklyn Paper)
- New research shows street redesigns are more effective at making streets safer than speed limit reductions. (CityLab)
- Meet Long Islander Rick Guidal, who's in the process of visiting every LIRR station. (Newsday)
- Dive into the three competitive City Council races (out of 51) on November's ballot. (The City)
- A new lawsuit charges NYPD cops with deliberating striking a moped rider who was illegally operating in a bike lane in 2023. (NY Times)
- A "dude" headed to surf the Nor'easter was the year's one billionth subway rider. (Brooklyn Eagle)
- And finally: Open Streets are on trial on Thursday when a judge will hear arguments in a suit filed by people who claim the program restricts access for people with disabilities, amNY reports.
- Steve Vaccaro broke down the case on Instagram last week.
