The Trump administration has taken steps to block congestion pricing increases in New York City. On Wednesday, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy wrote to New York Gov. Kathy Hochul stating the administration would not approve the city’s congestion pricing program.
In response to the administration rescinding approval of the program, Gov. Kathy Hochul released a statement criticizing the decision and President Donald Trump.
“We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king,” Hochul said.
President Trump responded by celebrating the move in a Truth Social post.
“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!” President Trump wrote.
The congestion pricing program was a $9 toll charged to drivers upon entering Manhattan. The toll was previously approved by the Biden administration, despite criticism that such approval violated federal law. Critics of the program included Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., who voiced concerns that the program had not complied with the requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act.
Malliotakis praised the Trump administration’s decision, pointing out that President Trump, as a New Yorker, understood the negative impact this pricing plan would have on residents and businesses.
In his letter to Gov. Hochul, Secretary Duffy stated the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) was not authorized by law to approve the program.
Duffy characterized the program as a “slap in the face working-class Americans and business owners” and stressed the need to preserve access to New York City for all citizens without restricting entry only to the elite.
