By: Richard L. Smith
Acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport issued a forceful response following a federal district court order that reinstates funding for the Gateway infrastructure project, saying the Trump Administration can no longer continue what she described as an unlawful freeze of project funds. 
“With the district court’s order now fully in effect, the Trump Administration can no longer continue its unlawful policy of freezing funding for the Gateway project,” Davenport said in a statement.
She stated that the funding freeze lacked legal justification and noted that the U.S. Department of Justice did not defend the policy’s legality in court.
Davenport emphasized that the pause in funding has had serious consequences for New Jersey, New York, and the broader region.
According to Davenport, nearly 1,000 workers were laid off or furloughed as a result of the freeze.
She said the court’s ruling now clears the way for those workers to return to their jobs and resume work on the Gateway Tunnel project, protecting the substantial financial investments already made by both states.
Davenport also warned that continued delays would increase costs and extend timelines for what she described as the nation’s most critical infrastructure project.
“We expect the Trump Administration to swiftly comply with its legal obligations,” she said. “Continued delays would be unlawful and add costs and time to the nation’s most important infrastructure project.”
The Gateway Program, a multibillion-dollar effort to modernize and expand rail infrastructure between New Jersey and New York, has long been considered vital to the Northeast Corridor and the regional economy.