The Trump administration initially wanted to shut off congestion pricing cameras on Friday, but the deadline was extended 30 days. To celebrate, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul took a victory ride on an MTA bus. It comes as NBC New York learned that in the second month of the tolling plan, congestion pricing is so far on track to meet the $500 million annual goal. Andrew Siff reports.
With just hours remaining before a federal deadline to bring an end to congestion pricing, New York City's controversial tolling program was given a last-minute extension by the Trump administration.
U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy posted on social media Tuesday afternoon that the state would have 30 more days to stop collecting congestion pricing tolls. The initial deadline to halt the program was set for Friday.
Duffy said more time would be allowed "as discussions continue," but seemingly threatened to cut off funding for New York if Gov. Kathy Hochul did not turn off the cameras.
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"Your refusal to end cordon pricing and your open disrespect towards the federal government is unacceptable," Duffy said in a tweet. "Your unlawful pricing scheme charges working-class citizens to use roads their federal tax dollars already paid to build...Know that the billions of dollars the federal government sends to New York are not a blank check. Continued noncompliance will not be taken lightly."
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SIGN UP Spokespersons for Duffy didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment Thursday.
In response to Duffy's comments, MTA Chief of Policy and External Relations John McCarthy said the agency was not considering any changes to congestion pricing at the moment.
"The status quo remains, which means everyone can continue to expect less traffic, faster commutes, and safer streets in Manhattan," read a statement from McCarthy. "As we’ve said, there was exhaustive study, projected benefits were right, and we can’t go back to gridlock."
As for Hochul, a spokesperson said the governor was aware of Duffy's comment, but no changes to the tolling program were in the works.
"Congestion pricing is working. Traffic is down, business is up and support for this first-in-the-nation initiative continues to grow," the statement read. "[Duffy's tweet] doesn’t change what Governor Hochul has been saying all along: the cameras are staying on."
Janno Lieber, chairman and CEO of the MTA, vowed earlier this week that the Friday deadline would “come and go” with no changes to tolling.
Hochul's counterpart across the Hudson River, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, said in a statement that "Every day that congestion pricing continues in Manhattan’s Central Business District is another day that hardworking New Jerseyans are unfairly tolled to line the pockets of the mismanaged MTA," and repeated his calls for the program to be terminated immediately.
In February, President Donald Trump ordered congestion pricing tolling to cease, as the DOT said it rescinded approval for her state's controversial congestion program which started Jan. 5.
That letter was sent to New York officials on Feb. 20, the day after Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced he'd rescinded federal approval of the toll, calling it a "slap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners.”
Gov. Hochul has promised an “orderly resistance” to the federal decree, which called for an “orderly termination” to congestion pricing. Similar toll programs have long existed in other cities, including London, Stockholm, Milan and Singapore, but have never been tried before in the U.S.
“We will not be steamrolled here in New York,” the Democratic governor previously vowed at a board meeting of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, the state agency that’s overseeing the toll. “We're in this fight together, and I’m in this as long as it takes.”
Hochul has met privately with Trump at the White House, where she presented him a booklet her press secretary said showed the early success of congestion pricing.
The MTA has filed suit in Manhattan federal court, arguing the Trump administration lacks legal authority to revoke approval for the program, which was granted under Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration.
“The federal government cannot unilaterally terminate the program,” Janno Lieber, chair and CEO of the MTA, said on an appearance on NY1 last month. “Once it’s begun, there’s all kinds of case law in federal courts about the procedures that the federal government has to use to take away an approval to reverse a decision. None of this complies with that, and that’s why we are so comfortable that this is a strong case, and we’re going to win.”
Lieber argued that the tolling plan, which launched on Jan. 5, is working as intended.
He said there are 60,000 fewer vehicles a day driving into the tolling zone — a 10% reduction — while travel times are noticeably faster on tunnels and bridges into Manhattan as well as its busy cross streets.
Pedestrian traffic is up around 4% and economic activity appears to be up, with Broadway theater attendance, restaurant reservations and retail sales in the tolling zone seeing increases over a similar period in 2024, Lieber said.
He said the MTA is on track to generate roughly $500 million from the toll program by the end of the year, allowing it to move forward with planned subway, bus and transit improvements. The MTA earned nearly $50 million in roughly the first month of the toll's operation, according to a report the agency released last month.
“We’re not going back, no matter what the rhetoric from other parts of the East Coast is," Lieber said. “We tried gridlock for 50 years, and it was bad for our economy, it was bad for our health and it was bad for New Yorkers' quality of life.”
A survey published earlier in March showed a majority of New Yorkers were in favor of the city's congestion pricing toll, mirroring the support found in international cities who have implemented similar programs.
The Siena College poll found that 42% of New York City residents want the congestion pricing toll to stay, while a slightly smaller 35% support President Donald Trump's attempts to squash the tolling program aimed at lessening vehicle traffic in Manhattan and funding the MTA.
Maybe most noticeable about the new poll, is the change in opinion in just the few months that congestion pricing has been in place.
New Yorkers were asked about their feelings on congestion pricing back in December, and Siena College found that a smaller number (32%) support the toll. Meanwhile, an overwhelming 52% were in opposition.
Favorability is still weaker outside of New York City. Statewide, roughly one-third of people polled support the program, versus 40% who want it gone.
The Riders Alliance told NYC Streetsblog it makes sense that the people who see the program's success up close would be the "biggest champions of its success."
"With gridlock down, buses moving faster, and revenue rolling in for reliable trains and accessible stations, New York is proving that our government can work for the people," Riders Alliance Director of Policy and Communications Danny Pearlstein told the outlet.
