New York Governor Kathy Hochul responded to President Trump’s move to have the Department of Transportation revoke its approval for congestion pricing in New York City on Wednesday, announcing that her state will battle them in court over it and that the system will remain in place for the time being. The president had posted online about the DOT’s move, writing on Truth Social (a social media platform which he partly owns): “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”. The official White House account then republished his statement, along with a Time-esque fake magazine cover featuring Trump wearing a crown.
Speaking at a press conference alongside MTA CEO Janno Lieber and Counsel to the Governor Brian Mahanna, Hochul had some choice words for President Trump and Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy. “New York hasn’t labored under a king in over two hundred and fifty years,” said Hochul, “and we’re sure as hell not going to start now.” The Buffalo native also accused Trump of being on a “revenge tour” against his home state, and vowed to “not back down – not now, not ever.” Hochul took swipes at Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy for his past stint as a reality show contestant, where he appeared on a series of shows between 1997 and 2002. “It’s not the Real World, Sean,” she said, referencing his show. “It’s real life for New Yorkers and don’t you forget that.”
“New York ain’t going back,” said Janno Lieber. “We tried gridlock for 60 years, it cost our economy billions. You know what’s helping our economy, what’s making New York a better place? Congestion pricing.” He then went down a list of the positive outcomes from the program’s implementation that addressed critics’ concerns, like the fact that foot traffic is up in the congestion zone even as car traffic has fallen, and that a recent poll shows 70% of driving commuters approve of it. Beyond addressing traffic and quality of life concerns, congestion pricing is a crucial pillar for financing the MTA’s infrastructure, and the projected funds raised factored into their recently published capital plan.
Both Governor Hochul and her counsel, Brian Mahanna, stated that the “cameras are staying on.” Mahanna explained that the program will continue while the state seeks a declaratory judgment from a federal judge affirming that the program is legal, having been fully authorized from all relevant authorities. “We expect the judge to rule in our favor,” Mahanna said. The federal Department of Transportation agreed on a plan with the MTA in 2019, although the first-term Trump administration had held up its implementation at the time, as then-Governor Cuomo accused the White House of retribution against his state for not giving up driver’s license information to federal immigration authorities. The process would not be started again in earnest until President Biden took office in 2021.
