{"id":2621377,"date":"2026-06-30T08:58:01","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T12:58:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-bars-trump-from-blocking-funding-for-hudson-river-tunnel\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T08:59:54","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T12:59:54","slug":"judge-bars-trump-from-blocking-funding-for-hudson-river-tunnel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/judge-bars-trump-from-blocking-funding-for-hudson-river-tunnel\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge bars Trump from blocking funding for Hudson River tunnel"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fjudge-bars-trump-from-blocking-funding-for-hudson-river-tunnel%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2621377&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A federal judge blocked the trump management from withholding funding for the $16 billion Gateway Tunnel project between New Jersey and New York, ruling that the move was arbitrary and violated federal regulations. The judge, Jeannette Vargas, criticized the administration\u2019s decision as influenced by political motives rather than compliance wiht nondiscrimination laws. The project, which began construction in late 2023 and aims to be completed by 2035, recently received a $6.<a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >8 billion federal grant<\/a> under the Biden administration. Previously, the Trump administration had frozen over $205 million in funding citing concerns over the project&#8217;s use of diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, which the Department of Transportation deemed unconstitutional. The court&#8217;s decision affirms that the suspension was unjustified and tied to political bias, with Vargas noting that former President Trump\u2019s statements suggested the funding freeze was motivated by opposition to Democrats.The Gateway Tunnel is a critical infrastructure link, carrying over 200,000 daily riders on the Northeast Corridor. Despite conflicts over funding and legal disputes, construction efforts proceed, supported by notable federal investment.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<article class=\"fn-body\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A federal <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/judges\/\">judge<\/a> blocked the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/trump-administration\/\">Trump administration<\/a> on Monday from blocking federal funding for the Gateway Tunnel project, ruling that its move to do so last year was arbitrary and capricious. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">U.S. District Court Judge Jeannette Vargas\u2019s decision surrounds the $16 billion Gateway Tunnel plan to build two new rail tunnels underneath the Hudson River between New Jersey and New York. The<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/department-of-transportation\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2527\"> Transportation Department<\/a> halted roughly $205 million in federal funding for the project in October, amid criticisms that it used \u201cunconstitutional\u201d diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, and faced cost overruns and delays. <\/p>\n<section class=\"explore-more-section\" id=\"wex-recommended-widget\">\n<div class=\"magazine-container single\">\n<h1 class=\"magazine-title mt-2\">Recommended Stories<\/h1>\n<p>             <i class=\"fa-solid fa-play icon\"><\/i>         <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-grid\">\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4629506\/trump-supporters-rip-justice-barrett-after-supreme-court-setbacks\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Trump supporters rip Amy Coney Barrett after Supreme Court setbacks<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/senate\/4629264\/ruben-gallego-campaign-finance-violations-doj-investigation\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Ruben Gallego hit with DOJ investigation for campaign finance violations<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<div class=\"explore-card\">                         <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/justice\/4629000\/luigi-mangione-federal-trial-january-2027\/?itm_source=parsely-api\">                             <\/p>\n<div class=\"explore-thumb-wrap\">                                                                                                                                  <\/div>\n<h3>Luigi Mangione federal trial pushed back to January<\/h3>\n<p>                         <\/a>                     <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Vargas weighed in again on the debacle this week, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/newjerseymonitor.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/gateway-final-ruling.pdf\">writing that<\/a> the suspension was a violation of the Administrative Procedure Act, and that \u201cdefendants make no attempt to justify their actions as consistent with the governing federal regulations.\u201d She suggested that President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump\u2019s<\/a> freeze was tied to his dislike of Democrats such as Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), not concerns about DEI.\u00a0Her rebuke comes after the administration was forced to unfreeze that funding in February due to an order from Vargas. The judge\u2019s Monday ruling is a permanent extension of that order.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-1\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-15\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cThe ostensible reason for the suspension of funds was to allow DOT to conduct a review of GDC\u2019s compliance with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/morgan-stanley-under-fire-for-minority-only-intern-program\/\" title=\"Morgan Stanley Under Fire for Minority-Only Intern Program\">federal nondiscrimination laws<\/a>. President Donald J. Trump, however, made contemporaneous statements indicating that he had personally made the decision to \u2018terminate\u2019 funding for the Project \u2018because the Democrats are so foolish \u2013 what they\u2019ve done to the country,\u2019\u201d the ruling reads.<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The long-delayed Gateway Tunnel project to upgrade infrastructure between New Jersey and Penn Station in Midtown has been in the works since 2010. Major construction began in late 2023, and the project is not set to be completed until 2035. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In July 2024, the Biden administration handed it a $6.8 billion federal grant, marking the most money ever provided to a mass transit infrastructure project in the United States. The Hudson River tunnel is a critical link on the Northeast Corridor, carrying more than 200,000 daily riders. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-2\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-16\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Transportation Secretary <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/sean-duffy\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"2286\">Sean Duffy<\/a> announced in October that roughly $205 million in federal funding would be <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/campaigns\/state\/3835314\/government-shutdown-seeps-into-new-jersey-governors-contest-with-hudson-tunnel-project-stalled\/\">on ice<\/a>, expressing concern that the project was using \u201cunconstitutional\u201d diversity, equity, and inclusion practices. The department said it would conduct an administrative review of the project to ensure compliance with a rule \u201cbarring race- and sex-based contracting requirements from federal grants.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSecretary Duffy\u2019s position on the[[<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.transportation.gov\/civil-rights\/disadvantaged-business-enterprise\">Disadvantaged Business Enterprise<\/a>]program is clear \u2013 subsidizing infrastructure contracts with taxpayer dollars based on discriminatory principles is unconstitutional, counter to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/report-campus-anti-semitism-skyrockets-even-as-coronavirus-forces-remote-learning\/\" title=\"Report: Campus Anti-Semitism Skyrockets Even as Coronavirus Forces Remote Learning\">civil rights laws<\/a>, and a waste of taxpayer resources,\u201d the Transportation Department said. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The move triggered a pause in construction and<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/infrastructure\/4445285\/new-jersey-and-new-york-sue-trump-administration-over-frozen-gateway-tunnel-funding\/\"> a lawsuit<\/a> from New York and New Jersey in February. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-3\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-17\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-3\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4599237\/sonderling-acting-his-way-to-permanent-role-atop-labor-department\/\"><strong>SONDERLING ACTING HIS WAY INTO PERMANENT ROLE ATOP LABOR DEPARTMENT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In response to a court order that month, the Trump administration was <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/4459383\/trump-declares-government-not-pay-gateway-overruns\/\">forced to release <\/a>the first $30 million in frozen funding. On Feb. 18, the Trump administration released<a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/infrastructure\/4461948\/trump-releases-127-million-funding-gateway-tunnel\/\"> the remaining $127 million<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the time, Trump complained he was opposed to the project because it \u201ccost many BILLIONS OF DOLLARS more than projected or anticipated.\u201d\u00a0The president has declared that the federal government would not cover any excess expenses beyond existing commitments.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wex-inarticle-ad wex-inarticle-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\">\n<div class=\"wex-ad-wrap wex-ad-art-dsk-inart-4\" style=\"min-height:90px\"><span class=\"wex-ad-label\" hidden>Advertisement<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-3182201-25\" data-wex-ad=\"art-dsk-inart-4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Judge blocks Trump from halting Gateway Tunnel funding<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2621378,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/052126_DEAN_DUFFY-2-e1782822892774.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[42263,81960,43169,3634],"class_list":["post-2621377","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-funding-ban","tag-hudson-river-tunnel","tag-judicial-ruling","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/052126_DEAN_DUFFY-2-e1782822892774.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2621377","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2621377"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2621377\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2621381,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2621377\/revisions\/2621381"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2621378"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2621377"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2621377"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2621377"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}