"The president's demand, first reported by Punchbowl News and subsequently confirmed by multiple outlets, explicitly linked federal funding for the now-halted Gateway Tunnel to slapping the president's name on Penn Station and Virginia's Dulles Airport - which Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer rejected outright. But the demand still left government watchdogs wary of what Trump may try to do with the transit hub reconstruction, which Amtrak's Andy Byford has said will begin before Trump's current term is up."
""It's all about Trump, who is like the wandering eye of Sauron and cannot be resisted by any of his minions, including Byford," said Reinvent Albany Executive Director John Kaehny. "Unfortunately, that baleful glare is clearly fixed on Penn Station, per Trump's latest offer to unfreeze federal funds for Gateway if Penn is named after him.""
"The Gateway Tunnel project will connect to Penn Station, which is set to be renovated as part of a separate project currently led by Byford, a special adviser to Amtrak who previously ran New York City's subways and buses. Byford has promoted the project as a "public-private partnership" in which one of three recently chosen bidders, all with ties to Trump, will have an opportunity to win a contract to build a new Penn Station."
President Trump tied federal funding for the halted Gateway Tunnel to renaming Penn Station and Virginia's Dulles Airport, prompting rejection from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and concern from government watchdogs. The linkage raised fears that New York and New Jersey could be strong-armed into contributing local tax dollars for the project. The Gateway Tunnel will connect to Penn Station, which is slated for a separate renovation led by Amtrak adviser Andy Byford. Byford promoted the renovation as a public-private partnership with three bidders, several of whom have ties to Trump, and expects construction to start before the president's term ends.
#gateway-tunnel #penn-station #infrastructure-funding #public-private-partnership #presidential-influence
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