President Donald Trump’s administration revoked federal approval for congestion pricing on Wednesday, taking a first step toward fulfilling his campaign promise to kill the tolls that charge drivers a $9 daytime fee to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street.
“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!” Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social, declaring victory even as the MTA vowed to keep the tolls on until a judge said otherwise, says Gothamist.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent Gov. Kathy Hochul a letter stating his agency revoked federal approval for the tolls, which were permitted to launch through a Federal Highway Administration pilot program.
“I share the president’s concerns about the impacts to working-class Americans who now have an additional financial burden to account for in their daily lives,” Duffy wrote in the letter.
Less than an hour after Duffy issued his letter, MTA officials filed a defiant federal lawsuit against the federal Department of Transportation, arguing the Trump administration was unlawfully attempting to reverse approval of the program.
“The status quo is that congestion pricing continues, and unless and until a court orders otherwise, plaintiffs will continue to operate the program as required by New York law,” the MTA’s lawsuit states.
If Trump succeeds in canceling the tolls, he will strip more than $15 billion the MTA planned to spend on crucial upgrades to the city’s transit systems.
“We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king,” Hochul wrote in a statement. “We’ll see you in court.”
Duffy’s letter focused on the Value Pricing Pilot Program, a little known initiative that allows states to impose tolls on federally funded roads and use the proceeds to fund mass transit improvements. Many of Manhattan’s streets receive federal subsidies.
Pic: Paul Hutton
