GOP rep spoke ‘extensively’ with Trump about Gateway rail project

New York Rep. Pete King (R) said he spoke “extensively” with President Trump about the New York metro region’s multibillion-dollar Gateway rail project during Thursday’s St. Patrick’s Day lunch.

“I told him the importance of Gateway,” King told The Hill of the discussion with the president, which he said lasted about five minutes.

King hesitated to provide additional details of his conversation with Trump, which comes after a group of New York and New Jersey lawmakers met with Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) on Wednesday to emphasize the project’s significance. 

{mosads}When pressed about Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao’s opposition to an Obama-era funding arrangement for the project, King said he didn’t “want to say anything today that could undercut [things].”

The New York lawmaker said it would not be “productive” to speak more of his discussion with Trump over the rail project, which is aimed at rebuilding passenger rail connection under the Hudson River between New York and New Jersey. 

The program has been a sticking point in ongoing conversations about the impending omnibus spending bill lawmakers must pass ahead of a March 23 deadline.

The White House last week threatened to veto the omnibus if it includes $900 million in funding for the project, while the Department of Transportation has said it opposes financing Gateway in the spending bill.

“All I can say right now is that I’m not going to say anything more,” King said when asked if he thinks Trump’s opposition to the funding is a form of political retribution for lawmakers who voted against last year’s GOP tax cuts and attempt to repeal ObamaCare. “If you had called me yesterday, I would have said that’s a possibility.”

The congressman’s silence on his lunch conversation comes after King told Politico on Wednesday that the Speaker described Trump’s resistance to funding Gateway during the meeting with lawmakers from the New York and New Jersey delegation. 

King also said Thursday that he won’t vote for the omnibus if the Gateway dollars are stripped.