New Jersey Congressman Highlights Laid-Off Gateway Tunnel Worker Ahead of Trump’s State of the Union

This week, a New Jersey lawmaker will bring a laid-off tunnel construction worker to President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address to draw attention to the thousands of Gateway Tunnel families.

After the enormous Hudson River tunnel extension halted development on February 6, Derrick Healy of Ocean Township was among 1,000 workers laid off. Laborers’ International Union of North America member Healy was working at a Weehawken project site.

Rep. Frank Pallone Jr., a Democrat from New Jersey’s 6th District, invited Healy to Trump’s State of the Union address. Pallone wants to show how the funding restriction affects working people in New Jersey and other states.

Pallone said he wants to remind the nation that hardworking individuals lost their jobs on a federally funded infrastructure project and are trying to make ends meet. He said consistent employment is key to affordability and that workers shouldn’t need court orders to return to work.

The Gateway Tunnel, originally the Gateway Development Commission project under the Hudson River Tunnel proposal, costs $16 billion. Two new rail tunnels under the Hudson River and the repair of the 116-year-old New Jersey-New York tunnels are included. New Palisades tunnels in North Bergen were supposed to be dug this year.

The Gateway Development Commission, New Jersey, and New York signed federal funding agreements for the project in July 2024. On October 1, 2025, the Trump administration halted government financing. Two weeks later, on October 15, the president ended the project after legislative Democrats blocked a federal budget measure.

White House spokespersons said the funding may be provided if Democrats supported the DHS budget. Trump told Sen. Chuck Schumer he would release Gateway funds if major transportation hubs were renamed for him, according to media sources. Trump then refuted it on social media.

New Jersey, New York, and the Gateway Development Commission sued the USDOT and other federal agencies over the funding freeze. They claimed the federal government violated 2024 financing agreements. Federal court judge ordered $235 million payment to the commission, which was made last week.

Even after court-ordered payment, building is halted. Healy and hundreds of other workers in New Jersey and New York are still awaiting specific instructions on when they can return to work. A blizzard canceled a Gateway Development Commission board meeting on Tuesday that was meant to provide updates.

The scenario is a flashpoint in the political debate about public spending, infrastructure investment, and economic stability. Workers like Healy care more about pay than politics. Major infrastructure expenditures boost regional transportation, jobs, and long-term economic growth, according to project supporters. Critics question federal budget priorities and spending.

A laid-off New Jersey construction worker is set to remind President Trump of the human cost of federal funding decisions when he addresses the country. The Gateway Tunnel project, one of the nation’s largest transportation infrastructure projects, affects thousands of local families’ economies.

Workers await a final conclusion to determine when construction resumes and when households that depend on them receive stable payments.