Washington DC: The Trump administration has moved to revoke New York City’s congestion pricing program, arguing that it unfairly burdens working-class commuters while benefiting the city’s transit system.
The program, which launched last month, imposes a $9 (£7.15) toll on vehicles entering Manhattan’s congestion zone between 60th Street and the southern tip of the island during peak hours.
President Trump announced the decision on social media, declaring, “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!” The administration contends that the federal government has jurisdiction over highways leading into the city and is therefore within its rights to rescind the program.
Hochul said that, New York Governor Kathy Hochul strongly condemned the decision, calling it an attack on state sovereignty and vowing to fight back in court. “We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king.”
"CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!"
–President Donald J. Trump pic.twitter.com/IMr4tq0sMB— The White House (@WhiteHouse) February 19, 2025
Speaking at a subway station, she held up an image from the White House’s official social media account depicting Trump in a crown with the caption “Long live the king.”
“New York hasn’t laboured under a king in over 250 years, and we sure as hell are not going to start now,” Hochul declared. She emphasized that the program has already led to a 9% reduction in traffic, cut accidents in half, and increased subway ridership, reinforcing its benefits.
US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy formally rescinded approval, calling the tolls “a slap in the face to working-class Americans.”
Sean argued that commuters had already funded highway infrastructure through gas taxes and that the program “takes more money from working people to pay for a transit system, not highways. It’s backwards and unfair.”
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) responded swiftly by filing a lawsuit to block the administration from dismantling the program.
Meanwhile, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, who previously urged the White House to review the policy, welcomed the decision. “The current program lines the MTA’s pockets at the expense of New Jerseyans,” he said, claiming it placed an unfair burden on commuters from his state.
With legal battles looming, the future of New York’s congestion pricing remains uncertain as both sides prepare for a high-stakes fight over urban transit policy and state autonomy.
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