The Trump administration officially revoked federal approval for New York City’s congestion pricing program on Wednesday, delivering on Donald Trump’s campaign promise to eliminate the tolls that require drivers to pay a $9 daytime fee to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street.
"CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!"
— Donald Trump, via Truth Social
Trump celebrated the decision on his social media platform, Truth Social, claiming victory while the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) vowed to keep the tolls in place until a court ruled otherwise.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy formally notified New York Gov. Kathy Hochul that his department had revoked federal approval for the program, which had been authorized through a Federal Highway Administration pilot initiative.
“I share the president’s concerns about the impacts to working-class Americans who now have an additional financial burden to account for in their daily lives,” Duffy wrote in the letter to Hochul.
Just an hour after Duffy’s letter, the MTA filed a federal lawsuit against the Department of Transportation, arguing that the administration was illegally reversing the program’s approval.
“The status quo is that congestion pricing continues, and unless and until a court orders otherwise, plaintiffs will continue to operate the program as required by New York law.”
— Excerpt from MTA lawsuit
If Trump succeeds in overturning congestion pricing, it would strip the MTA of more than $15 billion in anticipated funding for critical transit upgrades.
Hochul denounced the administration’s move, vowing to fight back in court.
“We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king. We’ll see you in court.”
— Gov. Kathy Hochul
Duffy’s letter highlighted the Value Pricing Pilot Program, a federal initiative allowing states to implement tolls on federally funded roads to finance public transit improvements. Many of Manhattan’s streets receive federal subsidies, which gave Washington oversight of NYC’s congestion pricing plan.
Despite the administration’s decision, legal battles loom, and the fate of New York’s congestion pricing remains uncertain.
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