NY governor makes case for Manhattan tolls in meeting with Trump after feds ordered a halt [View all]

Source: AP

Updated 4:02 PM EST, February 22, 2025


New York Gov. Kathy Hochul made the case for Manhattan’s congestion tolling during an Oval Office meeting with President Donald Trump after federal officials ordered a halt to the program, a spokesperson for the Democratic governor said.

Hochul and Trump met for more than an hour on Friday afternoon and also discussed other issues including immigration, infrastructure, economic development, energy, offshore wind and nuclear power, press secretary Avi Small said. He said Hochul presented Trump with a booklet showing the early success of congestion pricing. Small declined to comment further on the conversation. The White House did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Saturday.

The Trump administration on Wednesday ordered a stop to the program, which launched Jan. 5 with the goals of thinning traffic and funding mass transit by imposing a $9 toll on most vehicles entering Manhattan’s core south of Central Park. Transit officials said the toll has brought modest but measurable traffic reductions.

Despite the federal order, the tolls are remaining in place for now because of a federal lawsuit aiming to keep them alive that was filed by the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, a state agency that runs public transit in New York City. Hochul said the tolls will continue while the lawsuit is pending.

Read more: https://apnews.com/article/trump-hochul-manhattan-congestion-tolls-immigration-da69d9690b85ac64de9e4094de588a7b