NEW YORK—The Trump administration’s move to void congestion pricing here is headed for court, as Gov. Kathy Hochul reacted sharply to the Department of Transportation’s notification, Feb. 19, that it was pulling federal approval for the MTA’s controversial toll program.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called the program, approved 2023, “a slap in the face to working-class Americans and small business owners.” He said “Every American should be able to access New York City regardless of their economic means. It shouldn’t be reserved for an elite few.”
Trump trumpeted what he likely believed was the ax falling on the program, posting on his social media platform in part, “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”
Hochul fired back, in part: “I’m here to say, New York hasn’t labored under a king in over 250 years and we sure as hell are not going to start now.
“The streets of this city, where battles were fought; we stood up to a king. And we won then. And in case you don’t know New Yorkers, when we’re in a fight, we do not back down. Not now, not ever. Because, who are we fighting for here? We’re fighting for our residents, our commuters, our riders, our drivers, our emergency personnel. Life has gotten better for those who have asthma. People with illness. That’s who we’re fighting for.
“And the six million people who use the MTA to get to their jobs and their lives and to their doctorate: nurses, doctors, EMTs and all those that need to get to their jobs in a reliable way, they’re now going to be affected.
“I also have to raise a question. They look at the pretext for this rejection — and we have a lot of legal reasons why we know we’re going to be victorious — but they actually cited the will of New Jersey: ‘New Jersey didn’t want this.’ Ignoring the will of the people who live here, their elected leaders in Albany, and all of a sudden, the Trump Administration is citing, ‘New Jersey isn’t happy.’”
She said, “I don’t care if you love congestion pricing or hate it. This is an attack on our sovereign identity, our independence from Washington. And we are a nation of states. This is what we fought for. This is what people like Alexander Hamilton and others fought for: To set up a system where we are not subservient to a king or anyone else out of Washington. So this is the fight we’re in. It’s all about our sovereignty.”
The toll cameras remain on, she said. The program imposes a $9 toll on most vehicles entering Manhattan below 60th Street, aiming to unsnarl traffic and fund mass transit improvements.
Hochul, who had paused and then reinstated the program at a reduced toll rate, intends to use the revenue to support the MTA’s $15 billion capital improvement plan.
The initiative faced opposition from commuters and prominent Jersey leaders. Within hours of Trump assuming office for a second time, Gov. Phil Murphy asked him to review federal approval of the program.
With the Garden State top of mind, Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-5) on Feb. 19 cheered the DOT statement over the program that lurched into gear on Jan. 5.
Without naming Trump, Gottheimer—a candidate for governor—described the DOT action Feb. 19 as “a huge win for Jersey families, their wallets, and the environment. From Day One, when we started this fight, we knew that the Congestion Tax was just a giant cash grab for New York and the MTA — all on the backs of hardworking Jersey families. They never cared about how the tax would hurt Jersey families — they just needed the cash to pay for the MTA’s woeful mismanagement. That was just confirmed today — and now, we can all breathe a sigh of relief. I’ll never stop fighting to protect Jersey families […] Don’t mess with Jersey. Screw with us, and you’ll find out why.”