Trump administration rescinds approval of New York’s congestion pricing plan

The Trump administration rescinded the Biden-era approval of New York’s toll charging $9 for drivers to enter part of Manhattan. The move is a blow to officials in New York City and New York state, including Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), who touted the toll program as reducing both traffic congestion and air pollution. Some proponents...

Feb 19, 2025 - 20:49
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Trump administration rescinds approval of New York’s congestion pricing plan

The Trump administration rescinded the Biden-era approval of New York’s toll charging $9 for drivers to enter part of Manhattan. 

The move is a blow to officials in New York City and New York state, including Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), who touted the toll program as reducing both traffic congestion and air pollution.

Some proponents also say the plan will have climate benefits.

However, opponents of the plan, including President Trump and Democrats in neighboring states such as New Jersey, say that the plan imposed unnecessary costs on commuters. 

“New York State’s congestion pricing plan is a slap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners,” Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said in a written statement.

“Commuters using the highway system to enter New York City have already financed the construction and improvement of these highways through the payment of gas taxes and other taxes. But now the toll program leaves drivers without any free highway alternative, and instead, takes more money from working people to pay for a transit system and not highways,” he added.

In response, New York City's Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) and Triborough Bridge and Tunnel Authority sued the Trump administration. 

"Today, the MTA filed papers in federal court to ensure that the highly successful program – which has already dramatically reduced congestion, bringing reduced traffic and faster travel times, while increasing speeds for buses and emergency vehicles – will continue notwithstanding this baseless effort to snatch those benefits away from the millions of mass transit users, pedestrians and, especially, the drivers who come to the Manhattan Central Business District," said MTA chair and CEO Janno Lieber in a written statement. 

"It’s mystifying that after four years and 4,000 pages of federally-supervised environmental review – and barely three months after giving final approval to the Congestion Relief Program – USDOT would seek to totally reverse course,” Lieber added.

In a letter announcing the recission of the approval, Duffy, with the Trump administration, said that the New York program was not eligible for approval because there is no toll-free option. He also said the program appeared to be "driven primarily by the need to raise revenue for the Metropolitan Transit Authority as opposed to the need to reduce congestion."

However, in its lawsuit, the city agencies said it was actually the Trump administration that was breaking the law.

"In stark contrast to the nearly four-year process that led to ... approval, Defendants purported to take this agency action in a matter of less than two months, and despite having conducted no [environmental] review of the effects on the environment from ceasing tolling and reintroducing tens of thousands of additional vehicular trips into the [Central Business District] daily."

Zach Schonfeld contributed.

Updated at 2:25 p.m. EST