My Conversation with Andy Kim and Katie Phang on the Gateway Project

Trump’s move to “terminate” this project shows what happens when a leader’s top priority is not safety or jobs - but political revenge.

I’ve known

Senator Andy Kim

for about two decades, dating back to when we were students. Back then, we could never have imagined all the ways we would get to work together - but what doesn’t surprise me is that he has pursued a life of public service, or that he has already made a major and positive difference through his leadership.

Yesterday, I had the chance to sit down with him for a conversation moderated by

Katie Phang

to discuss something that’s been on both of our minds - the disturbing trend of Trump using federal funds as a tool for political revenge, hurting countless Americans along the way through what Andy correctly describes as “mob boss politics.”

A recent, dramatic expression of this has come in the form of the President himself announcing that he has “terminated” one of the largest and most important construction projects in America today: the Gateway Tunnel Project. To him, this is just something that Chuck Schumer likes, and therefore an opportunity to punish Democrats. But to hundreds of thousands of commuters who pass through these tunnels every day - not to mention tens of thousands of construction workers delivering the new tunnels - this is about safety and economic strength.

This is the biggest, but far from the only, example of critical infrastructure – roads, bridges, tunnels, transit - turned into bargaining chips to reward friends or punish perceived enemies. But the worst impacts aren’t on political figures the President dislikes - they’re on Americans just trying to live their lives. When federal funding that’s already been secured is held hostage, the message to commuters, workers, and communities is clear: political games matter more than you do.

When I was funding and supporting projects around the country as Secretary of Transportation, we didn’t ask the question “how did this place vote?” We focused on how we could help, which meant we sent funds to conservative and liberal areas alike. We funded small street safety projects in thousands of locations around America. And we funded the Gateway Tunnel modernization because the loss or failure of those tunnels would have economic implications that we would feel as far away from New York as my Michigan home.

If this behavior by the Trump administration continues - and congressional Republicans who know this is wrong fail to stand up to it - then all of us will be worse off in the long run. No matter how you voted, you deserve better than to be treated as a pawn in the President’s political game.

I hope you’ll watch the full conversation above.