Congresswoman Pou to Welcome Gateway Tunnel Worker as State of the Union Guest

WASHINGTON, DC - Congresswoman Nellie Pou (D-NJ-09) will attend the State of the Union speech in the House chamber, joined in the visitors' gallery by Justin Fowler, a resident of New Jersey's Ninth District and a 20-year member of Laborers' International Union of North America Local 472, who will be there to represent the district and Gateway Tunnel workers.

"I am pleased that Justin will be my guest at tonight's speech," said Congresswoman Pou. "Justin will be there to represent all of the Gateway workers threatened by Donald Trump's extortion threats and all of the families facing ever-rising cost of living. Workers like Justin are building the actual path to the future for our state and region. Like the thousands of New Jerseyans dependent on the Gateway Project advancing, he deserves a supportive economy and not the policies and propaganda offered by the President that threaten his job, harms our state, and weakens our nation."

"I thank Congresswoman Pou for inviting me to the House to witness this State of the Union. It is a special honor to represent my family and my community in Congress. I came to Washington from the blizzard in New Jersey to deliver a simple message to the President and his administration: When you shut down a project like this, you are stopping jobs, families, and critical transportation progress. When funding stopped, it didn't only pause construction but our entire lives. Let us finish the Tunnel so my kids and my neighbors will be able to use it for years to come," said Fowler.

Pou is New Jersey's only Democratic member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, and its Highways and Transit Subcommittee. Ten days ago, she stood in Secaucus with Governor Mikie Sherrill to announce support for the state's lawsuit to unlock funding for Gateway being unlawfully held up by this administration.

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