This critical component of the project will move forward essential work on the approach tracks to the Gateway Tunnel, bringing the region one step closer to modern, reliable rail service under the Hudson River.

About the New Jersey Surface Alignment, Governor Sherrill noted, “It’s the next major portion of work – two miles of raised tracks that run over the Meadowlands to the Palisades; the only part you’ll see before the tunnel disappears underground. That project alone will create thousands more good, union jobs. And I’ll always fight for those jobs – and for the Gateway workers I’ve been lucky to get to know.”

Her entire remarks as prepared for delivery are below:

“Thank you, George for that introduction! I also want to thank Jamie, Tom, Kate, Tony, Kathryn, Tom, and Janno. All of my colleagues from New Jersey, including Senator Mukherji, Assemblyman Calabrese, Kris, Priya, And… another New Jersey superstar –
Jeopardy winner, Jamie Ding!

We’re so lucky to have Jamie working on our housing team in Trenton…I’ve always known that New Jersey has brilliant public servants – now the whole country knows, too!

Above all, I want to thank all of you– who dedicate your lives to this work, on both sides of the river.

You know that one of the great opportunities of being in government is the potential to plan for the future.

But too many times, the thinking has been too short-term – kicking the can down the road.

That's not what we're here to do today.

We're here to convene partners. To remove barriers. To get things done.

That’s what well-run government is about: delivering.

And I’m in public service because I know that well-run government can be life-changing.  I’ve seen it in my own family.

My grandpa lost everything in the Great Depression.

But he served in World War Two, and got a good union job that lifted our family into the middle class.

He raised eight kids in a tiny house built by FDR’s W.P.A. – a program that itself was a massive feat of regional planning.

And when he and my grandma got older, Social Security and Medicare meant we didn’t go bankrupt caring for them.

The fact our family could go from having nothing – to putting me on this path
from the Navy, to Congress to Governor – is what the promise of America is all about.

Many of YOU here have the same story.

But today, those opportunities are too few and far between.

Government hasn’t been working the way it can or the way it should.

That’s why I left Washington – because I wanted to get stuff done.

And it’s why I ran for Governor – to open the doors of opportunity; and build a more affordable and accountable New Jersey, that delivers for the people and the businesses it’s meant to serve.

So – I’ve hit the ground sprinting.

Yesterday was my 100th day in office – and we’ve already gotten a lot done.

For me – it all starts with lowering costs. Electricity costs. Housing costs. Transportation costs. And more.

Take utility rates – they’re soaring. So I declared a State of Emergency on Day One.

I didn’t commission a 10-year study. I didn’t write a strongly worded letter.  I signed two executive orders in the middle of my inaugural address, minutes after I was sworn in. The first froze rate hikes, to get families relief right away. The second works to bring as much new power online as possible. Because more power means more supply, and lower costs for everyone.

If we’re going to meet ALL of our energy needs, we need an all-of-the-above approach. So in just my first two months, we approved six new solar and battery storage projects-projects that had been stuck for almost a year.

We’re modernizing natural gas facilities.

And I just signed a bill to end a 50-year moratorium on new nuclear power.

New Jersey is back at the table – and I'm fired up, because we’re uniquely positioned to lead.

We’re already home to one of the biggest nuclear-generating sites in America.

It provides nearly half of all electricity produced in our state – enough to power 3 million homes.

We have the experience – the infrastructure – and the workforce to do this.

And the potential benefits are huge: Safe nuclear means clean, stable power at a predictable cost – protected from global price swings.

But we can’t make New Jersey more affordable until we make housing more affordable.

And housing costs are up 60 percent in parts of our state since 2020.

Especially after all the former New Yorkers came and bought up all our homes!

Housing is people’s #1 expense.

I’m a mom; I want my kids to move back after college - but not into my basement!

To bring prices down, we have to build.

This week, I signed an Executive Order laying the foundation for a government-wide housing strategy, to get shovels in the ground.

And my budget protects our Affordable Housing Trust Fund – so we can use that money as it was intended: to build housing that’s affordable.

It expands downpayment assistance for first-time homebuyers.

It provides the most property tax relief in state history, to keep families in their homes.

And the State of New Jersey owns a lot of land that could be put to better use – like empty parking lots near transit hubs, where we could be building housing.

I’m working with NJ Transit on its LAND Plan – to revive downtowns, reduce emissions, raise transit revenue, and create 20,000 new HOMES and 50,000 new jobs.

It’s going to help us put the housing we need on property that's already developed – not in our green spaces.

And to cut through red tape so people can start building – I’m streamlining permitting. Right now, it’s too slow.

Projects fail because businesses simply can’t afford the uncertainty or the wait.

So we’re launching an online dashboard pilot in June – where developers can track their permit applications in real-time.

I also said I’d review burdensome regulations – so I paused all new and pending rules for 90 days.

And, after I submitted the most fiscally responsible budget that our state has seen in years, I rolled out a Budget Report Card last week.

It’s an interactive site where people can track how their tax dollars are spent, and what state programs are delivering.

Because when people see that link between investment and benefit – public trust AND government performance improve.

But what I really want to talk about with you today is transportation.

It’s the glue – between not just our states, but the pieces of our lives.

One in three American transit riders lives in THIS region.

You can't survive, much less thrive, without good public transit.

Yet we have some of the longest commutes, and oldest infrastructure.

It’s time to change that.

In Congress, they called me the "tunnel-obsessed Congresswoman" – because I fought so hard for the Gateway Tunnel Project.

Now, I’m "the transit-obsessed Governor" – because I'm fighting for New Jersey’s entire
transit system.

It’s one of America’s premier systems – but lack of investment has pushed it into hard times.

I know personally, because my husband has commuted by train every day for 10 years.

We know what it’s like to worry if you’ll make it home in time to get your kids from daycare, or to have dinner with your family.

So even though we had an incredibly tight state budget – I’m fully funding NJ Transit for the first time in decades.

And last month, I signed an Executive Order to start fixing what we can fix there right away.

Like new security cameras and lighting. More reliable live updates – so you can trust what the website and app and platform displays say. And we’re modernizing the whole system –
replacing the entire fleet by 2031 – with the first 250 new buses and 40 new rail cars arriving this year.

We’re finishing the new Portal North Bridge on time, despite two historic snowstorms –
easing a long-time bottleneck on America’s busiest rail corridor by Fall.

And I just greenlit the biggest project in Turnpike history: a $6.7-billion new bridge across Newark Bay.

Instead of kicking the can down the road – I found a way to advance that project immediately, with lower costs and a shorter timeline.

And when it comes to the World Cup – I’m proud for the chance to show New Jersey
to the world.

We’re preparing to move 40,000 fans to-and-from the Meadowlands, every game for a month.

I promised to put the people of New Jersey first through it all.

I work for them.

The same is true on Gateway – the biggest, most important infrastructure project in America.

The first new, heavy-rail-tunnel between New Jersey and New York in 115 years.

But the President of the United States illegally tried to cancel it – putting the thousand men and women already on the job out of work – and threatening the 100,000 good jobs it’s set to bring.

I fought tooth-and-nail for that funding when I was in Congress – it’s not his to take away.

So we took him to court, and we won – three times.

And we’re in court again now – to guarantee funding for the whole life of the project – and force him to pay us back for the millions in costs his delays caused.

Today – those thousand workers are back on the job.

Construction is moving forward – on both sides of the Hudson, and in the river.

And I can announce that next month – the Gateway Development Commission will award
the "New Jersey surface alignment" contract.

It’s the next major portion of work – two miles of raised tracks that run over the Meadowlands to the Palisades; the only part you’ll see before the tunnel disappears underground.

That project alone will create thousands more good, union jobs.

And I’ll always fight for those jobs – and for the Gateway workers I’ve been lucky to get to know. Guys like Tracy Porter – from Laborers Local 472 in Newark.

He worked his first job laying apartment foundations with his dad, when he was just 11 years old.

He’s since worked up and down the Turnpike – building the roads and bridges we use every single day.

Now, he’s putting his own kids through college; his paycheck covers their full tuition.

And I’m fighting for guys like Justin Fowler – born near the naval base in Hawaii where his dad served.

He has 20 years with the union.

He told us that when he went up 90 feet to set the American flag on top of the Gateway processing plant they’d just built – that was the proudest day of his life.

But Trump’s attacks on the project put Justin out of work – and they put at risk the health insurance that he needs for his severely autistic son.

It’s wrong.

These guys have had our backs; I’m going to have theirs.

And I won’t let anyone get in the way.

At the end of the day, this – what we all do – is about people.

Well-run government is about delivering for them.

New Jersey has a proud history as a regional-planning pioneer.

Since 1934, we’ve had – the most comprehensive State Plans; the most effective fair housing system; and we’ve done a good job meeting their goals.

But there’s more to do – building the infrastructure of opportunity – the engine of the American Dream.

That’s why it’s so important to deliver. To make life more affordable. To make government more accountable.

To make this region even more connected and ready for the future.

To deliver for the people that we’re meant to serve.

I’m so excited to work with all of YOU in everything that’s ahead!”

Governor Sherrill’s remarks today underscore her commitment to standing up for New Jerseyans and fighting for the completion of the most consequential infrastructure project in the country. She took the Trump administration to court three times to get Gateway funding restored so the rest of the project could move forward. The announcement today would not have been possible without the tenacity of her Administration. As the project advances, New Jersey will continue working with federal and regional partners to ensure the Gateway Program delivers lasting benefit for commuters, businesses, and the region as a whole.