NYC congestion pricing: Gov. Kathy Hochul stands by MTA tolling plan, vowing to ‘battle’ the Trump administration’s transfer
NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — The Trump administration’s transfer to terminate congestion pricing in New York Metropolis is assured to begin a battle within the courtroom, but it surely was the disagreement between the president and Gov. Kathy Hochul that dominated the political fallout on Wednesday.
President Donald Trump celebrated the Division of Transportation’s transfer to drag approval for the MTA’s controversial toll program, taking to his social media platform Fact Social to declare himself “the king.”
“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!” Trump mentioned within the publish.
A fired-up Gov. Hochul pushed again towards the DOT’s transfer and the president’s remarks throughout a briefing.
“New York hasn’t labored underneath a king in over 250 years, and we certain as hell will not be going to begin now,” she mentioned to applause whereas holding up a picture the White Home had posted earlier that day on X of a mock Time Journal, depicting Trump carrying a crown with the phrase, “Lengthy reside the king.”
Hochul known as the DOT’s try to dam this system an assault on the state’s independence from Washington.
“It feels just like the commuters of our metropolis and our area are actually the roadkill on Donald Trump’s revenge tour towards New York,” Hochul mentioned.
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The governor vowed to battle again, invoking the spirit of New Yorkers in her mission to withstand the actions of the Trump administration.
“In case you do not know New Yorkers, once we’re in a battle, we don’t again down — not now, not ever,” she mentioned, including that the state has “lots of authorized explanation why we all know we’ll be victorious.”
Hochul confirmed that the state has already taken authorized motion.
“Inside minutes of receiving that letter, our MTA filed a lawsuit,” she mentioned. “And let me be clear-the cameras are staying on. The tolls are staying on.”
President Trump wasn’t the one recipient of the governor’s fiery message, her cross-state neighbor, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy — a vocal opponent to the plan — additionally discovered himself within the cross hairs after he requested the president and his administration, on his first day in workplace, to “reexamine” the extremely debated congestion pricing plan and its influence on the Backyard State.
“They really cited the desire of New Jersey. Since when does New Jersey get to dictate what occurs in New York?” Gov. Hochul mentioned.
In response to Murphy’s letter to Trump, Hochul instructed reporters final month that if the congestion pricing plan is in the end killed, “that comes with $15 billion extra” the federal authorities might want to give to New York.
Hochul touted the success of this system on Wednesday, saying that congestion has “dropped dramatically” for the reason that congestion pricing went into impact final month.
MTA Chair Janno Lieber echoed Hochul’s stance, highlighting this system’s early success.
“Site visitors was down 9% in January, with 1.2 million fewer autos coming into the central enterprise district,” he mentioned. “Bus speeds are up, crashes are down, and pedestrian site visitors in enterprise areas has surged. That is working.”
Lieber additionally pushed again on claims that congestion pricing would damage companies.
“Restaurant reservations are up 7%, Broadway grosses are up 25%, and industrial workplace leasing jumped 61% in January in comparison with final 12 months,” he mentioned. “Folks need to be in New York.”
ABC Information contributed to this report.
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