Fed-Up NJ Construction Workers Rally Over Stalled Train Tunnel: ‘It Sucks, Man’

Hundreds of fed-up construction workers rallied in North Jersey on Monday, demanding that the Trump administration release billions of federal dollars for a long-awaited train tunnel between New Jersey and New York.

More than 200 unionized workers – including some who voted for President Donald Trump – held a rally in North Bergen on the New Jersey side of the Gateway Tunnel. Their message? “Stop playing politics with our jobs,” union leaders say.

The massive construction project is the centerpiece of a larger effort dubbed the Gateway Program, which aims to take some pressure off one of the most notorious railway chokeholds in the nation: the Northeast Corridor.

The new tunnel is especially crucial to the region, as the existing North River Tunnel serving Penn Station is more than 110-years-old and was severely damaged during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. While the tunnel has been repaired frequently, its age and damaged condition have caused constant headaches for more than 200,000 people who travel through the tunnel on more than 400 trains every weekday.

Construction on the new tunnel started on both sides of the Hudson River in November 2023. It will serve NJ Transit and Amtrak trains. Learn more about the plans here.

The Trump administration froze billions of dollars for the project in October 2025.

White House budget director Russell Vough said the funding is being put on hold to ensure that it is not flowing based on “unconstitutional DEI principles” – a stance that has been a hallmark of the administration of President Donald Trump. READ MORE: Feds Freeze Gateway Tunnel Funds Over DEI, Gov’t Shutdown

According to the Gateway Development Commission – the bi-state public authority that is overseeing the project – it has used available funding sources and credit to keep the project moving forward while federal funding disbursements are paused.

Those sources have now dried up, the commission said last week.

The Gateway Development Commission has launched a lawsuit to compel the Trump administration to release the funding. Both New Jersey and New York have filed a separate lawsuit demanding the same.

>> SEE RELATED: Funding Freeze For Gateway Tunnel Sparks Lawsuit, 1,000 Jobs At Stake

On Friday, a federal judge ordered the Trump administration to unfreeze funding for the Gateway Tunnel. The decision was expected to allow work to resume at the site. However, construction remained paused as of Monday – with layoff notices recently issued to nearly 1,000 construction workers.

The U.S. Department of Transportation asked for a stay of the temporary restraining order while it appeals. A hearing is set for Wednesday to determine steps after the temporary restraining order, CBS News reported.

Meanwhile, hundreds of workers are struggling with a foggy future, their union reports.

“It's a lot of goodbyes, a lot of hugs and a lot of uncertainty,” a foreman on the project said. “And it just sucks, man – it sucks.”

CONSTRUCTION WORKERS RALLY IN NORTH JERSEY

Monday’s rally in North Bergen – spearheaded by the Eastern Region of the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) – will hopefully put some pressure on Trump, union leaders said.

“Each day hundreds of LIUNA members and their building trades brothers and sisters report to work on the Gateway Hudson Tunnel to provide for their families,” general president Brent Booker said.

“While workers have shown up at the crack of dawn every day, the Trump administration has failed to show up for them,” Booker said. “We call on President Trump to stop holding our livelihoods hostage, put working people and our economy first, and immediately release funding for the Gateway Tunnel Project.”

LIUNA officials said many of the union’s members supported President Trump in past elections, but now feel betrayed by “political maneuvering” that puts working families and critical infrastructure at risk.

The construction workers were joined by New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and U.S. Sen Chuck Schumer of New York at Monday’s rally.

“We took the president to court and won — now, the funds are ordered to be released,” Sherrill said. “Release the funds, President Trump — it’s time to get back to work.”

• See Related: Feds Ordered To Unfreeze $16B In Funds For NY Tunnel Project, Judge Rules
• See Related: Trump Offered To Restore Gateway Funds If Penn Station Was Renamed After Him: Reports
• See Related: Trump Is Holding The Gateway Project Hostage

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