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The Tunnel That Could Break New York

JacksinPA

JacksinPA

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https://www.politico.com/magazine/s...ay-tunnel-new-york-city-infrastructure-218839

How politics, and Donald Trump, turned America’s most important repair job into a $30 billion grudge match

The $30B Gateway tunnel project under the Hudson River for a new & badly needed rail connection between NYC & NJ became a political football when Trump demanded that Sen. Schumer back Trump's Mexican border wall in return for approving additional funding for the project, now stalled short of completion. Trump refuses to approve any funding for the project until the Dems give him the $25B needed for his border wall.
 
Sounds about right. This is standard Political Swamp tactics.
 
JacksinPA said:
https://www.politico.com/magazine/s...ay-tunnel-new-york-city-infrastructure-218839

How politics, and Donald Trump, turned America’s most important repair job into a $30 billion grudge match

The $30B Gateway tunnel project under the Hudson River for a new & badly needed rail connection between NYC & NJ became a political football when Trump demanded that Sen. Schumer back Trump's Mexican border wall in return for approving additional funding for the project, now stalled short of completion. Trump refuses to approve any funding for the project until the Dems give him the $25B needed for his border wall.
Click to expand...

In the past before polarization and hyper, ultra partisanship, pre-my way or the highway or I get 100% and you get nothing politics of this era. The game of give and take would have been played. How that would have worked out is unknown, but each side would have received some funding.

Give and take was a game Reagan and Tip O'Neal played all the time. Reagan for his SDI and O'Neal for more domestic spending. Today, both sides think they are standing on principal. No wall, but funding for the tunnel is Schumer's. Trump's is funding for the wall or no tunnel.
 
JacksinPA said:
https://www.politico.com/magazine/s...ay-tunnel-new-york-city-infrastructure-218839

How politics, and Donald Trump, turned America’s most important repair job into a $30 billion grudge match

The $30B Gateway tunnel project under the Hudson River for a new & badly needed rail connection between NYC & NJ became a political football when Trump demanded that Sen. Schumer back Trump's Mexican border wall in return for approving additional funding for the project, now stalled short of completion. Trump refuses to approve any funding for the project until the Dems give him the $25B needed for his border wall.
Click to expand...

Why does he need them dirty dems at all??



:confused:
 
JacksinPA said:
https://www.politico.com/magazine/s...ay-tunnel-new-york-city-infrastructure-218839

How politics, and Donald Trump, turned America’s most important repair job into a $30 billion grudge match

The $30B Gateway tunnel project under the Hudson River for a new & badly needed rail connection between NYC & NJ became a political football when Trump demanded that Sen. Schumer back Trump's Mexican border wall in return for approving additional funding for the project, now stalled short of completion. Trump refuses to approve any funding for the project until the Dems give him the $25B needed for his border wall.
Click to expand...

Um... what are we upset about?

(It would be really bad for you to accuse the Republicans and/or Trump of somehow being in an exclusive group of holding one thing hostage for another thing in terms of spending.)
 
OrphanSlug said:
Um... what are we upset about?

(It would be really bad for you to accuse the Republicans and/or Trump of somehow being in an exclusive group of holding one thing hostage for another thing in terms of spending.)
Click to expand...

Trump blocking a badly needed infrastructure project because Mexico won't pay for his wall?
 
Why should Nebraskans and Coloradans pay for a tunnel between New York and New Jersey? Why should they pay for half of it? I can see the FedGov backing loans for some nominal percentage of the project but just shelling out $$ for the project is something different.

The federal government has a responsibility to build, maintain and improve national projects such as ports, interstates and border security. Their involvement in lesser projects should be limited.
 
Lutherf said:
Why should Nebraskans and Coloradans pay for a tunnel between New York and New Jersey? Why should they pay for half of it? I can see the FedGov backing loans for some nominal percentage of the project but just shelling out $$ for the project is something different.

The federal government has a responsibility to build, maintain and improve national projects such as ports, interstates and border security. Their involvement in lesser projects should be limited.
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The NE Corridor (Amtrak) is a 'lesser' project?
 
JacksinPA said:
Trump blocking a badly needed infrastructure project because Mexico won't pay for his wall?
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In states he knows he's not going to carry anyway.
 
JacksinPA said:
The NE Corridor (Amtrak) is a 'lesser' project?
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Amtrak's NEC appears to make money. Unfortunately, much of that money seems to be going to unprofitable lines instead of infrastructure upgrades. Prudent business practice would be to sell or sideline unproductive routes. Prudence, however, doesn't seem to be part of the plan as long as federal subsidies continue to be available. Amtrak was supposed to be self-sufficient by the early 2000's or it was supposed to be liquidated. We're well beyond that "drop dead" date now and STILL the project runs in the red.
 
Lutherf said:
Why should Nebraskans and Coloradans pay for a tunnel between New York and New Jersey? Why should they pay for half of it? I can see the FedGov backing loans for some nominal percentage of the project but just shelling out $$ for the project is something different.

The federal government has a responsibility to build, maintain and improve national projects such as ports, interstates and border security. Their involvement in lesser projects should be limited.
Click to expand...

I have always wondered that myself. These senators and house members just pillage tax dollars for their own state interest.
The issue is all these earmarks that get stuck on bills that have nothing to do with the bill themselves.

it is the millions and billions that get attached to bills over the years that have caused our national debt to grow and grow.
like pigs at a trough these guys can't stop eating then demand that we pay them more money.

that is the outrageous part of the whole thing.
 
Lutherf said:
Amtrak's NEC appears to make money. Unfortunately, much of that money seems to be going to unprofitable lines instead of infrastructure upgrades. Prudent business practice would be to sell or sideline unproductive routes. Prudence, however, doesn't seem to be part of the plan as long as federal subsidies continue to be available. Amtrak was supposed to be self-sufficient by the early 2000's or it was supposed to be liquidated. We're well beyond that "drop dead" date now and STILL the project runs in the red.
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The Pennsylvania Railroad tunnels under the Hudson River that carry both commuter & Amtrak traffic were built over 100 years ago. A backup or replacement is sorely needed. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_River_Tunnels
 
Lutherf said:
Why should Nebraskans and Coloradans pay for a tunnel between New York and New Jersey? Why should they pay for half of it? I can see the FedGov backing loans for some nominal percentage of the project but just shelling out $$ for the project is something different.

The federal government has a responsibility to build, maintain and improve national projects such as ports, interstates and border security. Their involvement in lesser projects should be limited.
Click to expand...

Why should New Yorkers pay subsidies to corn farmers?


Wouldn’t those tunnels also be used to haul freight? Amtrak “owns” the tunnels between Manhattan and Queens but the LIRR and freight lines also use them.
 
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JacksinPA said:
Amtrak is Federal, not state.
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States have started funding more of Amtrak since the federal government reduced the amount of funding over a decade ago.

Amtrak is mostly a public-owned company, but it depends heavily on subsidies.
 
Gaius46 said:
Why should New Yorkers pay subsidies to corn farmers?


Wouldn’t those tunnels also be used to haul freight? Amtrak “owns” the tunnels between Manhattan and Queens but the LIRR and freight lines also use them.
Click to expand...

We subsidize corn farmers in Iowa to make ethanol which is then shipped in tank cars to the refineries in northern NJ that are within sight of the port where tankers could bring cheap Brazilian ethanol made from sugar cane. Except for our prohibitive tariffs on imported ethanol. Go figure the sense of this except making a lot of Grassley's supporters rich.
 
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Gaius46 said:
Why should New Yorkers pay subsidies to corn farmers?


Wouldn’t those tunnels also be used to haul freight? Amtrak “owns” the tunnels between Manhattan and Queens but the LIRR and freight lines also use them.
Click to expand...

Well, there are corn farmers in NY but, in the grand scheme of things, good question! As a rule, the FedGov should not be in the business of picking winners and losers in the private marketplace.
 
HowardBThiname said:
States have started funding more of Amtrak since the federal government reduced the amount of funding over a decade ago.

Amtrak is mostly a public-owned company, but it depends heavily on subsidies.
Click to expand...

actually i just found out they are a GSE still. which is 99% of their problem.
 
JacksinPA said:
https://www.politico.com/magazine/s...ay-tunnel-new-york-city-infrastructure-218839

How politics, and Donald Trump, turned America’s most important repair job into a $30 billion grudge match

The $30B Gateway tunnel project under the Hudson River for a new & badly needed rail connection between NYC & NJ became a political football when Trump demanded that Sen. Schumer back Trump's Mexican border wall in return for approving additional funding for the project, now stalled short of completion. Trump refuses to approve any funding for the project until the Dems give him the $25B needed for his border wall.
Click to expand...

So whats the problem? All Schumer has to do is agree to fund Trumps project and Trump will fund Schumers project. So why is Schumer being a dick and holding such an 'important' project hostage?
 
Lutherf said:
Why should Nebraskans and Coloradans pay for a tunnel between New York and New Jersey? Why should they pay for half of it? I can see the FedGov backing loans for some nominal percentage of the project but just shelling out $$ for the project is something different.

The federal government has a responsibility to build, maintain and improve national projects such as ports, interstates and border security. Their involvement in lesser projects should be limited.
Click to expand...


All states get funding through the FHWA for roads, highways, bridges,safety, etc.....millions! Usually any funding requires 20% state or local matching funds. Amazing how much money states get, but much of the infrastructure still needs help.

California gets the most from the feds, then Texas, then NY
 
Fletch said:
So whats the problem? All Schumer has to do is agree to fund Trumps project and Trump will fund Schumers project. So why is Schumer being a dick and holding such an 'important' project hostage?
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Portions of the subway system in NY are as old as that tunnel from PA someone mentioned earlier. The subway control systems look like something from Dr. Frankenstein's lab. Seems like Chuckie would want to do the best for his constituents - those voters who return him to congress every 6 years. Chuckie just likes immigration issue politics more than his constituents, I guess.
 
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