By Jon Campbell and Stephen Nessen, Gothamist, Feb 19, 2025
The Trump administration moved to revoke federal approval for congestion pricing on Wednesday, making good on a campaign promise to kill the tolls that since Jan. 5 have charged drivers a $9 daytime fee to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent Gov. Kathy Hochul a letter announcing his agency would revoke federal approval for the tolls, which were permitted to launch through a Federal Highway Agency pilot program.
“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.
The move is almost certain to spark a legal battle over the Trump administration’s federal authority and the 2019 state law initiating the tolls. If it holds up in court, the loss of the tolls would also strip more than $15 billion the MTA planned to use for crucial upgrades to the city’s transit system.
Related: Trump administration revokes approval of NYC congestion toll
If you like this post, you’ll love our daily environmental newsletter, EnviroPolitics. It’s packed daily with the latest news, commentary, and legislative updates from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware…and beyond. Please do not take our word for it, try it free for a full month.
