Trump administration delays congestion pricing deadline by a month
The Trump administration said it would give New York a 30-day extension on its deadline to end congestion pricing. A day before the original March 21 deadline, U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the extension in a post on X, calling Gov. Kathy Hochul’s refusal to end the tolling program “unacceptable.” The governor and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority have repeatedly defended the program and pledged to keep it running until a federal judge makes a ruling; the agency filed a lawsuit to protect the program last month.
“Your unlawful pricing scheme charges working-class citizens to use roads their federal tax dollars already paid to build,” Duffy wrote in a post on Thursday. “We will provide New York with a 30-day extension as discussions continue. Know that the billions of dollars the federal government sends to New York are not a blank check. Continued noncompliance will not be taken lightly.”
President Donald Trump first announced plans to reverse federal approval for congestion pricing in February, following through on a campaign promise to eliminate the program during his first week in office. Last week, the head of the Federal Highway Administration said that the MTA must work to ensure that the program ends by March 21, which was ignored by NY officials, according to Gothamist.
Congestion pricing, which charges drivers a base toll of $9 when entering Manhattan below 60th Street, has already survived several legal challenges across multiple states, including one from New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy. In January, Murphy urged Trump to “re-examine” the program after a judge ruled against his lawsuit.
MTA Chief of Policy and External Relations, John J. McCarthy, defended the program in a statement, highlighting the promising preliminary data.
“The status quo remains, which means everyone can continue to expect less traffic, faster commutes, and safer streets in Manhattan. As we’ve said, there was exhaustive study, projected benefits were right, and we can’t go back to gridlock.”
The administration’s order to end the program is symbolic, as its potential elimination ultimately rests on the court ruling.
Late last month, the MTA released the first financial results for the program from January 5 through 31, showing the toll is projected to generate roughly $500 million per year, or about $40 million per month. The agency is depending on the revenue generated by the program to fund $15 billion in crucial repairs and upgrades throughout NYC’s public transit system.
On Friday, Hochul held a rally promoting congestion pricing and touted the program’s successes. According to the governor, traffic is down 11 percent in the Central Business District (CBD) in February compared to the same time last year and three million fewer vehicles entered the CBD in January and February than in 2023.
The governor also noted an increase in business in the CBD, with Broadway show attendance up 19 percent and restaurant reservations up 5 percent, and transit ridership up across both the subway and buses and regional rail.
“Since congestion pricing took effect over two months ago, traffic is down and business is up – and that’s the kind of progress we’re going to keep delivering for New Yorkers,” Hochul said. “Every day, more New Yorkers are seeing and hearing the benefits for our commutes, quality of life and economy – and we’re not going back.”
Trump’s fight against congestion pricing comes at a time of heightened tension between the federal government and NYC.
On Wednesday, U.S. DOT Secretary Duffy threatened to withhold federal funding for the NYC transit system unless the MTA submits a detailed plan to reduce crime, combat violence against transit workers, minimize injuries and fatalities from suicide events and subway surfing, and address fare evasion. Public data shows crime on the subway has been declining.
In February, Trump clawed back $80 million in federal funding from NYC that was earmarked for costs related to housing migrants. In response, Mayor Eric Adams sued the Trump administration to recover the funds and prevent the federal government from improperly revoking or withholding future funding the city is entitled to receive, as 6sqft previously reported.
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