Judge temporarily halts order requiring Trump to unfreeze tunnel funding
Source: Reuters
February 9, 2026 1:19 PM EST Updated 2 hours ago
Feb 9 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge in New York on Monday temporarily put her ruling on hold forcing the Trump administration to lift a four-month-old freeze on federal funding for the $16 billion Hudson River Tunnel Project connecting New York City and New Jersey.
U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas on Friday had ordered the funding be restored. The Justice Department had warned it would be required by 1 p.m. Monday (1800 GMT) to disburse up to $200 million in funds for the Gateway Tunnel project unless her order halted.
Vargas said she would put her order on hold until Thursday at 5 p.m. to give the Second Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals time to consider the government's emergency request. But she denied the government's request for an extended halt, saying New York and New Jersey have demonstrated the shutdown of operations prompted by the funding freeze "will have an immediate and severe impact on the region’s economic interests."
The Justice Department argued it would not have an "obvious mechanism for recovering that money later if the government prevails on appeal." USDOT, the White House and Gateway did not immediately comment.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/judge-temporarily-halts-order-requiring-trump-unfreeze-tunnel-funding-2026-02-09/
Judge put a stay on her own order done Friday pending appeal.
REFERENCE - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143613610
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