Some of New Jersey's top elected officials -- all Democrats -- gathered Tuesday near an aging bridge to send a message to President Donald Trump:
It's time for the Republican president to drop his opposition to the Gateway Tunnel project, not only for the region he's long called home, but for all Americans.
"New Jersey is ready to get working on America's next great infrastructure project," Gov. Phil Murphy said as he and four members of New Jersey's congressional delegation hosted a pep rally of sorts in Secaucus for the new rail tunnel under the Hudson River linking the Garden State with Manhattan.
"We are ready for the Trump administration to step up to the plate with us," the governor added.
Murphy stressed the $30 billion project is "not just a New Jersey/New York thing," nor is it a partisan plan.
"There is perhaps no project in which the economic future of our entire country and our national security are so inextricably intertwined," he said.
Gateway would include the new tunnel, as well as a replacement of the 108-year-old Portal Bridge, which carries trains over the Hackensack River and often causes delays.
Under a deal with then-President Barack Obama, a Democrat, New Jersey, New York, and the Port Authority agreed to shoulder half the cost of the entire Gateway project, while the federal government would cover the other half.
Congress has already begun advancing at least $540 million in federal funding. But Trump, a native New Yorker and former Atlantic City casino owner who was once supportive of the project, has threatened to shut down the federal government rather than approve funding for Gateway.
Officials in Trump's administration have said the Obama-era agreement never existed and that they are not bound to it. And in March, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao told a U.S. House committee that Trump was blocking funding because the states needed to put up more money.
Murphy said his state responded in June, when the New Jersey Economic Development Authority approved $600 million in bonds to finance the replacement of the Portal Bridge. The governor said the bridge -- the first phase of the project -- is "shovel-ready."
He and his fellow Democrats -- U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez and U.S. Reps. Bill Pascrell, Donald Payne Jr., and Albio Sires -- stood with government, labor, and business officials Tuesday to address Trump. The Portal Bridge was just behind them in the distance.
Their message wasn't new, but they're amping it up because timing is critical. A key to securing funding in the House, U.S. Rep. Rodney Frelinghuysen of New Jersey, is retiring in January.
Frelinghuysen, R-11th Dist., chairs the House Appropriations Committee, which writes all federal government spending bills. Thus, it would be optimal to secure funding before his retirement.
The Democrats on Tuesday had praise for Frelinghuysen, who was not at the event.
They also stressed the project is important to the American economy because 20 percent of the U.S.'s gross domestic product runs between Washington, D.C., and Boston, with New Jersey and New York crucially in the middle.
Plus, they noted, the project needs to be a priority because of the age of the Portal Bridge, which opened in 1910.
That's when Teddy Roosevelt was president and the Titanic was still under construction.
"We pray the tunnel doesn't suffer a similar fate," said Jerry Zaro, a trustee to the Gateway Corporation, which helps oversee the project.
Murphy noted the bridge carries 200,000 rail riders a day, and every day its replacement is delayed costs $150,000.
Menendez accused Trump of ignoring the benefits to commuters and the thousands of workers who would labor on the project.
"Like we've seen time and time again, reality is taking a backseat to the president's political vendettas," said Menendez, who is facing a closer-than-expected re-election battle against Republican Bob Hugin in November.
"It's time to stop playing games," Menendez added. "This is a fight the administration can't win."
One theory of why Trump opposes the project is because one of his top critics, U.S. Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York, is a major Gateway supporter.
Murphy said he can't understand why Trump is against the plan because the president grew up in Queens and was based in New York City for decades before becoming president. The governor called the project "so darn obvious."
"This ought to be a no-brainer for him, which is why I've retained my optimism," Murphy said. I believe, at the end of the day, he and his team will get there because it is so obvious. It has such a big economic impact on this region, and this region is the most important economic region in our country."
Tom Bracken, president of the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, said in a statement Tuesday that Gateway is "critical to attracting and keeping business" in the Garden State.
"Gateway is an investment in New Jersey's long-term economic health and growth," Bracken added. "Without it, we will not have a fully maximized infrastructure, and it will lessen our ability to compete for business with neighboring states."