Federal officials returned to court on Wednesday to challenge the Metropolitan Transportation Authority regarding its stalled efforts to eliminate New York City’s contentious congestion pricing system.
The MTA and the Trump administration both sought a ruling from Judge Louis Lehman in Manhattan federal court about whether to halt or continue the much-debated toll collection.
Earlier in May, a judge appointed by Trump temporarily halted a federal push aimed at forcing New York to scrap its pioneering program, which imposes a $9 toll on vehicles entering Manhattan below 60th Street.
This ruling ensures that the toll, which is set to take effect in January 2025 and rise to $15 by 2031, will stay in place for the time being.
Both parties were expected to present their views for two hours, starting just after 2 p.m. A written decision from Liman will come later.
In February 2025, Trump celebrated what he claimed was his success in ordering the end of congestion pricing, proclaiming on a social media platform that “Congestion pricing is dead. Manhattan and all of New York are saved. Long live the King!”
Despite that statement, the toll rates have not changed since then.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has yet to act on his warning to cut federal funding and approvals for New York projects if the tolls are not eliminated.
Critics of the toll system argue it allows the MTA to profit at the expense of drivers. They point to pre-implementation polls showing a lack of support for the program among New Yorkers and mention that some business leaders feel it shifts costs onto customers.
On the other hand, advocates of congestion pricing reference data indicating that there were 27 million fewer vehicles in the “Congestion Relief Zone” from January 5, 2025, to December 31, 2025, leading to a 22% decrease in air pollution in that area compared to 2024.
To date, the MTA reports that the congestion fees have generated over $550 million for subway enhancements.
