"The lawsuit, filed in federal court in Manhattan by New York Attorney General Letitia James and New Jersey Acting Attorney General Jennifer Davenport, asks a judge to declare the funding suspension unlawful and order payments to resume immediately so construction can continue without interruption. "Allowing this project to stop would put one of the country's most heavily used transit corridors at risk," James said in a statement Tuesday evening."
"The construction project calls for building a new rail tunnel under the river to carry Amtrak and area transit trains between New Jersey and New York City, as well as repairing an existing, 116-year-old rail tunnel that was damaged by Superstorm Sandy in 2012. Work began in 2023. The project is funded by the 2021 federal infrastructure law signed by Democratic President Joe Biden."
New York and New Jersey filed suit seeking a prompt ruling to overturn the suspension of $16 billion in federal funding for a new rail tunnel under the Hudson River. The administration put the funds on hold in September, citing the government shutdown. The White House budget director said officials believed the spending was based on unconstitutional diversity, equity and inclusion principles, and the Transportation Department said it was reviewing any unconstitutional practices. The lawsuit asks a judge to declare the suspension unlawful and order immediate payments so construction, started in 2023, can continue. The project includes a new tunnel and repairs to a 116-year-old tunnel damaged by Superstorm Sandy, funded by the 2021 federal infrastructure law.
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