- The Trump administration ordered the MTA to terminate congestion pricing by March 21. Gov. Kathy Hochul and the MTA are pushing back.
- Hochul said Thursday, “It ain’t over,” referring to efforts to keep the tolling program.
- The Democratic governor met with President Donald Trump last week, where she said she tried to appeal to him as a “New Yorker.”
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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, D, is continuing to push back on President Donald Trump’s move to block congestion pricing. The governor said, “It ain’t over,” during a discussion on MSNBC Thursday, Feb. 27.
Her response comes as the Trump administration gives New York until March 21 to comply with its order to end the $9 tolling program on vehicles entering Manhattan.
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A letter from the U.S. Transportation Department’s Federal Highway Administration was made public Wednesday, Feb. 26, after it was sent to the city on Feb. 20, the day after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced he rescinded federal approval of the toll. He called the toll a “slap in the face to working-class Americans and small business owners.”
Immediately following that, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) filed a lawsuit challenging the move, and city officials are now vowing to continue the program.
What was said at Hochul’s meeting with Trump?
During the MSNBC interview, Gov. Hochul discussed her meeting with Trump, saying that she tried to appeal to the president as a “New Yorker.”
“I’m trying to find a common ground here,” Hochul said. “This is a city that he cares about, and he understands it more than any president since FDR.”
Hochul didn’t elaborate on anything Trump said during their meeting, but added she hopes he’ll give New York another chance to prove the effectiveness of congestion pricing.
She echoed the same statement Wednesday while speaking at a board meeting with the MTA, promising “orderly resistance” to the Trump administration’s order.
“We must stand up, and we will stand up,” Hochul said. “We will not be steamrolled.”
How has congestion pricing impacted the city?
The MTA said that since congestion pricing began on Jan. 5, traffic and commute times have reduced on some of the most crowded roads in New York City.
The plan is also reportedly on track to hit its goal of raising $15 billion in funding for transit repairs and improvements.
Nearly $49 million was billed to vehicles entering the zone in January, according to the latest public data from the authority.
