Democratic New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill, who is running against Trump-endorsed GOP candidate Jack Ciattarelli, criticized the President for freezing $12 billion in federal funds for the development of two tunnels under the Hudson River to connect New Jersey and New York.
After the government shut down yesterday, Sherrill told MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell: “Here we have the president saying he’s going to freeze the money to construct the gateway tunnel… This means almost 100,000 jobs to the region. It’s $12 billion that we got denoted to this and Jack Ciattarelli literally has once again sat by and said nothing to Donald Trump, attacking the economy of New Jersey.”
Sherrill: Here we have the president saying he’s going to freeze the money to construct the gateway tunnel… This means almost 100,000 jobs to the region. It’s $12 billion that we got denoted to this and Jack Ciattarelli literally has once again sat by and said nothing to Donald… pic.twitter.com/Im7GhtvIy2
— Acyn (@Acyn) October 2, 2025
When NJ.com reporter Brent Johnson asked Ciattarelli about the funding freeze on Wednesday, the GOP candidate said: “It doesn’t stop what’s going on today with regard to the construction. And I think it’s a large negotiation that’s taking place.” When asked who’s to blame for the shutdown, Ciattarelli said: “I don’t know enough about the details.”
I also asked him who’s to blame for the shutdown.
“I don’t know enough about the details,” Ciattarelli told me. https://t.co/ESPgijWTqM
— Brent Johnson (@johnsb01) October 1, 2025
Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ), who has endorsed Sherrill, said: “I think President Trump just secured a victory for the Democrats and a loss for the Republicans when it comes to the governor’s race, because Jack Ciattarelli clearly is someone who’s not gonna stand up to Trump.”
Sherrill reminded voters on social media today that “Ciattarelli said there’s not a single issue where he disagrees with Trump.” She also said that Ciattarelli “promised to never take them to court,” distinguishing herself from her opponent by saying: “As governor, I will fight this tooth-and-nail and sue the Trump administration to finish this critical, job-creating infrastructure project to reduce congestion and improve quality of life in New Jersey.”