Cuomo Tells Trump to End ‘Reality-Show Theatrics’ on Rail Tunnel

(Bloomberg) -- New York Governor Andrew Cuomo unleashed rage on President Donald Trump for delaying the Hudson River rail tunnel project, slamming the “useless wall” he wants on the border and questioning his business acumen.

The criticism came in a letter to Trump four days after the U.S. Transportation Department effectively disqualified the $13 billion project from federal funding. The tunnel, between New York and New Jersey, would provide a link to Manhattan for northeastern U.S. passenger trains. It must be completed before the century-old existing tunnel, damaged by floodwater, is taken out of service for years of repairs. Trump, a New York City native and heir to a real-estate fortune, has insisted that New York and New Jersey pay a larger share of the construction costs.

“This is one of the most egregious cases of government recklessness and malpractice,” Cuomo, a Democrat, said at an Albany news conference Tuesday. “This is political retaliation. These are states that did not vote for the president.”

In his letter, Cuomo pointed out that the tunnel serves an area that generates 20 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product. He referred to the president’s pet project, a barrier along the U.S. southern border, as a “useless wall” that “nobody needs.” Cuomo told Trump to knock off the “reality TV show theatrics,” a reference to “The Apprentice,” the long-running series that Trump hosted and netted him millions of dollars.

“You’ve marketed yourself as an astute businessman,” Cuomo wrote, “so how could you be so blind to the obvious national economic urgency of this project?

To contact the reporters on this story: Elise Young in Trenton at eyoung30@bloomberg.net;Henry Goldman in New York at hgoldman@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Flynn McRoberts at fmcroberts1@bloomberg.net, William Selway, Michael B. Marois

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