Gottheimer Renews Call for Gateway Funding During Tour

NEWARK, NJ – Today, January 28, 2019, U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) joined members of the New Jersey congressional delegation and representatives from the State of New Jersey in surveying the 108-year-old Gateway Tunnel that connects New York and New Jersey. Gottheimer renewed his call for full funding of the region’s most critical infrastructure project. Twenty percent of the nation’s GDP flows through the northeast. Video of Gottheimer from the tunnel can be found HERE.

“It is ridiculous that a tunnel that one-fifth of the American economy depends on would be held up due to political games,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “We know that infrastructure investment gives one of the best returns on investment of anything. We know that commuters depend on these tunnels to get to work, so they can provide for their families. We know that if the tunnel were to crumble, it would cost the American economy $100 million a day. The Gateway Program is a common sense fix to generate economic growth and I will continue to fight for it until it is fully funded and built.”

Today, Gottheimer joined members of the New Jersey Delegation in writing to Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao asking her to move the project forward and not allow long delays or government shutdowns to continue affecting this critical infrastructure plan.

In Congress, Gottheimer is focused on improving North Jersey’s roads, rails, bridges, and roads, including through his Fixing the Fifth Infrastructure Repair Plan to boost North Jersey’s return on the tax dollars it already sends to Washington; his bipartisan Get on Board to Fix the Tunnel Act to force the Administration to get involved again with the Gateway Program Development Corporation, his infrastructure plan with his fellow members of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus to increase public-private partnerships, and his bipartisan FRA Safety Data Improvement Act, which brings consistency and the power of big data to help improve rail safety and which unanimously passed the House back in April.

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