US: Biden touts funds for Hudson River tunnel in New York City visit

US President Joe Biden travelled to New York City this week as part of a tour to further promote the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Biden touted the funding that would be used for an underwater tunnel that would connect Manhattan and New Jersey.

In remarks at a railyard by the Hudson River tunnel on Tuesday, Biden touted the funding the project would receive as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Biden also announced that his administration has granted almost $1.2 billion from the law’s new national infrastructure project assistance discretionary grant program for nine projects in the country.

“While others tried to shut this down, I made clear this is a national priority,” said Biden to the lawmakers and supporters in attendance in New York. “Wall Street is important but it didn’t build the middle class. The middle class built this country and union built the middle class.”

The Hudson River tunnel project would repair an existing tunnel and build a new one for Amtrak and state commuter lines from New York City to New Jersey. New York, New Jersey, and the federal government would be splitting the estimated cost of $16.1 billion, and nearly half the bill would be shouldered by the federal government.

Biden’s visit to New York is one of three stops this week that sought to highlight the US leader’s bipartisan success in securing funds to invest in the country’s infrastructure. This comes at a time when House Republicans are threatening to block the Democratic president’s economic agenda and lead to a government shutdown if Biden does not agree to the spending cuts.

On Monday, Biden went to Baltimore, Maryland to tout the planned replacement of a 150-year-old tunnel. The US leader is set to travel to Philadelphia to discuss replacing toxic lead pipes which would be funded through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law worth $1.2 trillion.

Meanwhile, officials familiar with the matter said Biden is expected to appoint a new team of economic advisers, and no decision is to be expected before the US leader’s State of the Union speech this year. Officials said Biden is focused on his upcoming address to a special joint session of Congress and has yet to decide who to appoint to be part of the National Economic Council and the Council of Economic Advisers.