Trump Team Gives New York 30 Days to End Congestion Tolls
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The Trump administration has reiterated a demand for New York to end its congestion pricing program, providing officials with a 30-day extension to turn off the tolls.
So far, the state and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority have refused to comply with a March 21 deadline to halt the program. MTA CEO Janno Lieber has previously said the program will remain in effect until there is a court decision on the matter.
President Donald Trump and Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy are putting the state and its Governor Kathy Hochul “on notice” after New York rebuffed the prior deadline, according to a March 20 post on X.
“Know that the billions of dollars the federal government sends to New York are not a blank check,” Duffy wrote. “Continued noncompliance will not be taken lightly.”
. — the federal government and are putting New York on notice.
Your refusal to end cordon pricing and your open disrespect towards the federal government is unacceptable.
Just as your high tolls and no free road option are a slap in the face to hard… — Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy)
Avi Small, a spokesperson for Hochul, emphasized that congestion pricing is working and support for the program has continued to grow. “We’ve seen Secretary Duffy’s tweet, which doesn’t change what Governor Hochul has been saying all along: the cameras are staying on,” he said in an emailed statement.
In February, Duffy attempted to end the city’s congestion pricing program by reversing a key federal approval a month after tolling began in much of Manhattan. The MTA subsequently sued, saying efforts to halt the initiative were illegal.
Congestion pricing is expected to raise $15 billion to modernize subway signals from the 1930s, make more stations accessible and extend the Second Avenue subway to Harlem. Without that new revenue, the MTA and state lawmakers will need to find an alternative funding source or postpone vital infrastructure projects meant to improve mass-transit service and attract more riders.
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“The status quo remains, which means everyone can continue to expect less traffic, faster commutes, and safer streets in Manhattan,” John J. McCarthy, the MTA’s policy and external relations chief, said in a March 20 statement. “There was exhaustive study, projected benefits were right, and we can’t go back to gridlock.”
Duffy’s missive comes a day after the White House threatened to withhold federal funding from the MTA if the agency doesn’t comply with a request for information on transit crime. Duffy sent a letter to Lieber demanding a comprehensive plan to reduce crime and safety incidents.
The MTA relies on as much as $2.5 billion of federal dollars annually, Jai Patel, the MTA’s co-chief financial officer, said at a January board meeting. The transit provider is anticipating 20%, or $14 billion of its upcoming multi-year capital plan to be financed by federal funding.
