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

President Donald Trump’s administration has rescinded federal approval for New York’s congestion pricing program, potentially spelling the end to the controversial tolling program that has been widely derided by Long Islanders.

In a letter sent Tuesday to Gov. Kathy Hochul, U.S. Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said that, after reviewing New York’s Central Business District Tolling Program at the direction of Trump, he was rescinding the Federal Highway Administration’s approval of congestion pricing and “terminating the agreement” between New York and the federal government that allowed the tolls to be implemented in January.

Officials in Hochul’s office and at the MTA did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Duffy offered several reasons for his decision, including that the program, which charges most vehicles $9 for driving below 60th Street in Manhattan, left motorists “without any free highway alternative on which to travel within the relevant area.”

Duffy also noted that the toll revenue being generated from congestion pricing is being directed to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s transit system, rather than the highways.

“I do not believe that this is a fair deal,” Duffy wrote. “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.”

Justifying his decision, Duffy noted that the 1991 federal law that was the basis for New York’s congestion pricing plan did not strictly define what constitutes a “value pricing pilot program,” as was previously approved by federal officials. Left to “narrowly construe” the definition, Duffy determined that the MTA’s plan does not fit the bill, because it does not allow a toll-free option for drivers “who want or need to travel by vehicle in this major urbanized area” and because the plan “appears to be driven primarily by the need to raise revenue for the [MTA] … as opposed to the need to reduce congestion.”

The decision was immediately blasted by congestion pricing supporters, and praised by opponents, including Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella, who filed one of the first lawsuits challenging the tolling program and thanked Trump and Duffy for withdrawing federal approval.

“To bring an end to the program is the right thing not just for Staten Island, but for the City as a whole,” Fossella said in a statement. “The MTA should follow this action by turning off the toll readers and relieving Staten Island residents from this unnecessary and burdensome tax once and for all.”

A 2023 Siena College survey found that nearly three-quarters of registered voters on Long Island opposed congestion pricing. But MTA officials have noted that, since the tolls took effect in early January, some opponents have been won over by reduced traffic and faster travel times.

“Public transit riders won congestion relief and are now enjoying faster and more reliable bus service from throughout New York and New Jersey,” said Betsy Plum, executive director of the Riders Alliance, a transit advocacy group, in a statement. “We are committed to maintaining and expanding on our victory and will defend it with everything we have.”