Two New Jersey congressmen are seeking $4 billion in COVID-19 relief funding for two bi-state transportation agencies that were not included in an aid package approved last December.
Reps. Donald Norcross (D-Camden) and Josh Gottheimer (D-Wyckoff) have asked House Democratic leaders to include the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the Delaware River Port Authority in the next emergency relief package.
“This relief would allow multi-state authorities to continue their critical functions and hopefully mitigate or prevent any future job losses or delays to their ongoing capital infrastructure projects,” Norcross and Gottheimer said in a letter to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Transportation & Infrastructure Chairman Peter DeFazio. “Multi-state entities deserve direct relief just like the other transportation entities that have already received it from Congress.”
Norcross and Gottheimer said that the omission of the two transportation agencies is “in stark contrast with other transportation entities, including State Departments of Transportation, transit agencies, airlines, and motorcoach companies that were either given direct funding or have access to direct funding from the last COVID-19 relief package.
“Like the entities above that received direct funding, multi-state entities also suffered revenue losses, including a decline in tolling revenue, passenger ticket revenue, and funding from local taxes,” the two House Democrats said. “Unfortunately, due to the revenue losses these multi-state entities have experienced, some are being forced to eliminate jobs and postpone critical capital projects.”