Dunellen, NJ – Today, Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) spent the morning in Dunellen, NJ, hearing from small business owners, commuters, and local leaders on the importance of protecting funding for the Gateway Project. Today’s tour comes following last month’s announcement by President Trump that he plans to “terminate” funding for the Gateway Project, the region’s most important infrastructure project expected to support approximately 100,000 jobs over the course of its lifetime.

Senator Kim started the tour with Dunellen Mayor Jason Cilento where they had a chance to visit small businesses to hear about the importance of foot traffic from commuters on the Raritan Valley Line, which the Gateway Project would improve service on.

“I want to thank Mayor Cilento and community leaders for showing me how important protecting the Gateway Project is to their community,” said Senator Andy Kim. “The Gateway Project is not just an infrastructure project, it’s supporting small businesses and improving quality of life in our communities; that’s something we should all be able to support.”

“Senator Kim’s conversations with Dunellen local business owners about our downtown, the role the Dunellen Train Station plays in foot traffic, and the importance of the Gateway Program demonstrate the significance of a bipartisan effort to understand the day-to-day needs of local municipalities such as Dunellen,” said Dunellen Mayor, Jason Cilento. “We are grateful for his partnership and look forward to continuing to work together to improve the Raritan Valley Line for the thousands of commuters who rely on it each day.”

On the small business walk, Senator Kim and Mayor Cilento spoke with the owner of Dunellen’s newly opened cafe, Deli Cream, and made stops at Roscoe’s Eatery and Daluca’s Cafe. The small business owners stressed the importance of daily commuting foot traffic thanks to use of the Raritan Valley Line and why efforts should be made to ensure the planned upgrades and improvements from the Gateway Project are completed.

“We want to sincerely thank the entire team for visiting us. Deli Cream would be truly happy to see the train line come directly to our town [Dunellen] from different places,” said Deli Cream Owner, Leidy Rodriguez. “Here in Dunellen, we are friendly people with big ideas, always working to create a unique experience for everyone who visits.”

After the tour, Senator Kim and Mayor Cilento conducted a walk-through of the Dunellen Train Station and discussed what upgrades were still needed to ensure consistent and reliable service for commuters. They also highlighted the importance of bipartisan partnerships all levels of government to ensure the Gateway Project funding continues.

Senator Kim ended the day by joining commuters on the Raritan Valley Line to engage in conversation about the future of the Gateway Project and NJ Transit. Senator Kim spoke with commuters about ways New Jersey could upgrade its infrastructure so it can be reliable for those who depend on it every day.

This morning’s visit follows an October 2025 bipartisan meeting organized by Senator Kim that included federal and local officials, representatives from the Raritan Valley Line Mayors Alliance including Mayor Cilento, and the Gateway Project workers who would be losing contracts and jobs if funding is formally terminated.

In October 2025, President Trump made a surprise announcement officially terminating the $18 billion in funding needed for The Gateway Project, a long-term transit development project that was set to modernize the Tri-State area’s transit infrastructure. Senator Kim lead a joint statement opposing this announcement, as this would cancel all improvements and upgrades, as well as cancel the plans to create a new tunnel that would have added another commuter option into Manhattan for New Jersey commuters and would ease the burden and commute times of those traveling in and out of New Jersey. Senator Kim also put out a joint statement with Senator Cory Booker(D-NJ). 

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