Many of us will look back on 2017 with some regrets. However, few will have as many as blue state Democratic politicos who decided to embrace the #Resistance instead of acting as true representatives of their states’ citizens. Rather than negotiate or compromise with either President Trump or the Republicans, they have postured and tweeted away this past year as if there were absolutely no consequences to be faced.
As 2018 opens, the bill has come due. I noted last week that the Department of Justice quashed a $3 million project with Los Angeles over that municipality’s proudly proclaimed “Sanctuary City” status.
Now news comes of an Obama-backed rail-tunnel project between New York and New Jersey that has been derailed.
The Trump administration has shut down an Obama-era deal to have the federal government help fund a $13 billion rail tunnel project between New York and New Jersey, according to Crain’s New York Business….The project would have funded necessary repairs to an Amtrak tunnel between New Jersey and New York City, as well as help fix damaged dual-tunnel conduit and rebuild New Jersey’s Portal Bridge.
The expressly stated reason given by Trump administration officials is that they view this project as local in nature.
…[I]n a letter Friday, the Trump administration notified New York and New Jersey that the Obama-era deal was now “non-existent” because the states recently requested that their portions be covered by loans from the federal government — meaning Washington would supply all of the initial funding for what the Trump White House is calling “a local project.””Your letter also references a non-existent ’50/50′ agreement between USDOT, New York, and New Jersey. There is no such agreement,” wrote K. Jane Williams, deputy administrator of the Federal Transit Administration. “We consider it unhelpful to reference a non-existent ‘agreement’ rather than directly address the responsibility for funding a local project where nine out of 10 passengers are local transit riders.”
Williams also cited cost concerns.
Williams wrote she had “serious concerns” about the first phase of the project that asked for $11.1 billion from the federal government. “Your proposal also overlooks that 50% would be considerably higher than much existing precedent for past ‘mega projects,'” she said.
Subsequently, New York’s Governor Andrew Cuomo’s office wrote a letter to plead the case for the federal government’s continuing the commitment to help finance the project.
In a letter to a U.S. Department of Transportation official, Cuomo’s budget director recalled an August meeting between Trump, his Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao, Cuomo, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie and the New York and New Jersey House and Senate delegations….”USDOT stepping away from the 50:50 framework now would represent stepping away from a previously agreed upon path and the entire basis for getting this critical national infrastructure project done,” the budget director, Robert Mujica, wrote to Federal Transit Administration Deputy Administrator K. Jane Williams.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s spokesman Brian Murray believes the matter will be fully addressed as President Trump unveils his infrastructure plans:
“We are confident that, as the White House advances an infrastructure proposal this year, federal funding for the most important transportation project in the United States will be addressed.”
Perhaps. But I suspect that the choices made of some of the state’s leading politicians was a contributing factor to the administration’s re-evaluation of the funding.
I sure hope these particular representatives enjoyed polishing their #Resistance credentials through 2017. In April of 2018, they will be forced to explain to the citizens they represent why there is no longer a state income tax deduction. They should also prepare their excuses for the loss of key infrastructure funding, and perhaps find a way to fund what is needed using local tax monies.
Another 2018 Prediction: Accusing Trump of being an unstable, Russia-colluding, white-power embracing, Hitler-clone is not going to fly for increasing numbers of constituents.
I suspect #Resistance chickens will start coming home to roost this year.
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