Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-6) will attend President Trump’s State of the Union tomorrow night with Derrick Healy, a New Jersey Gateway Tunnel construction worker and member of the Laborers’ International Union of North America who was forced off the job when Donald Trump illegally froze congressionally approved funding for the project, wiping out paychecks for roughly 1,000 workers including Healy.

The Trump Administration released the funding late last week only after a federal judge ordered it to do so, allowing construction to resume. The disruption already forced workers off job sites, halted paychecks, and created months of uncertainty for families who rely on Gateway work to make ends meet.

Healy will put a human face on the real-world cost of Trump’s unnecessary funding freeze: lost wages, halted construction, and workers scrambling to cover rent, groceries, and bills after their income disappeared overnight.

“Like has been true for all of his failed career, if you want Trump to pay his bills you have to take him to court,” Pallone said. “I’m bringing Derrick to remind the country of the hardworking people struggling to make ends meet who Trump has abandoned. Trump promised to reduce costs on day one and instead he has cost the average New Jersey family an extra $2,000 per year. New Jerseyans like Derrick want the chance to work hard and get ahead, instead Trump stuck them with skyrocketing costs.”

The Gateway Tunnel project supports thousands of union jobs and is essential to the daily commute of more than 200,000 riders between New Jersey and New York. When funding was halted, construction stopped, workers were sent home, and one of the nation’s most critical infrastructure projects was thrown into uncertainty. It will also likely cost millions in New Jersey taxpayer dollars in overages by causing serious delays to a project that was on budget and on time.

Pallone is bringing Healy to underscore a simple reality ahead of the State of the Union: affordability starts with a paycheck and New Jersey workers shouldn’t need a court order just to get back to work.