Trump moves to reverse approval for NYC’s congestion pricing program, Hochul fights back
Photo courtesy of Gov. Kathy Hochul’s Office on Flickr
President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday officially announced plans to reverse federal approval for New York City’s congestion pricing program. U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent Gov. Kathy Hochul a letter rescinding the Federal Highway Administration’s approval of the tolling program, which began charging drivers $9 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street on January 5. Early data released by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority following the toll’s launch revealed less congestion and faster commute times. Shortly after Trump’s announcement, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority filed a lawsuit to protect the program and Hochul, who said the move from the White House was an attack on the state’s sovereignty, said the “cameras are staying on,” referring to the toll cameras.
As first reported by the New York Post, Duffy claims the program runs contrary to the federal highway aid program, which prohibits tolling on roads built with federal funds unless there’s an exception granted by Congress via the Value Pricing Pilot Program (VPPP).
According to Duffy, because it provides no toll-free option for drivers and the toll is “primarily set to raise revenue for transit, rather than at an amount needed to reduce congestion,” the program “exceeds the authority authorized by Congress under VPPP.”
Echoing Trump and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, who earlier this year urged Trump to end the program, Duffy said the plan is a “slap in the face” to working-class Americans and small-business owners.
“Every American should be able to access New York City regardless of their economic means,” the secretary said. “It shouldn’t be reserved for an elite few.”
In a bizarre post on his social media platform Truth Social, Trump celebrated the move to end congestion pricing by likening himself to royalty. “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED,” the president wrote. “LONG LIVE THE KING!”
According to the New York Times, the White House then shared an illustration of Trump wearing a crown on the cover of a magazine.
During a press conference on Wednesday, Hochul responded forcefully: “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.”
“This is an attack on our sovereign identity, our independence from Washington,” Hochul added. “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.”
Congestion pricing has survived several legal challenges in multiple states. In addition to reducing congestion and pollution, the tolls were projected to bring in $1 billion in annual revenue for the MTA.
In a statement released Wednesday, MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said the agency filed a lawsuit in federal court to ensure the program will continue despite the “baseless effort” by the Trump administration.
“Today, the MTA filed papers in federal court to ensure that the highly successful program – which has already dramatically reduced congestion, bringing reduced traffic and faster travel times, while increasing speeds for buses and emergency vehicles – will continue notwithstanding this baseless effort to snatch those benefits away from the millions of mass transit users, pedestrians and, especially, the drivers who come to the Manhattan Central Business District,” Lieber said.
“It’s mystifying that after four years and 4,000 pages of federally-supervised environmental review – and barely three months after giving final approval to the Congestion Relief Program – USDOT would seek to totally reverse course.”
The governor said the state plans to keep the program running.
“We knew this could come and filed a lawsuit within minutes,” the governor said. “I’m very confident we will be successful. And I also want to say, the cameras are staying on. We are keeping the cameras on. Lights, cameras, action. They’re staying on.”
Editor’s note: The original version of this post was published on February 19, 2025, and has since been updated to include new comments from Gov. Kathy Hochul and President Trump.
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