New York Sen. Chuck Schumer speaks about the Hudson tunnel project in 2023 at Hudson Yards train yard in New York City. On Tuesday, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to permanently stop trying to halt funding for the project. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
June 30 (UPI) -- A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to permanently stop trying to halt funding for the Gateway tunnel project under the Hudson River.
Judge Jeannette Vargas called the attempts "flagrantly" illegal Monday, The New York Times reported. She said the administration violated federal rules when the Department of Transportation halted reimbursements to the tunnel's builders in September.
The administration said it froze the funds to stop money from going to "unconstitutional [Diversity, Equity and Inclusion] principles," The New Jersey Monitor reported. However, President Donald Trump has said several times that he froze the funding to punish Democrats, including Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who has championed the project.
The judge quoted Trump as saying in October: "We're cutting a $20 billion project that Schumer fought for 15 years to get, and I'm cutting the project. The project is gonna be dead. It's just pretty much dead right now."
