U.S. Department of Transport Secretary Sean Duffy has condemned the price of congestion as a “distorted” war against the middle class of Gov. Hochul.
Hochul’s extremely unpopular $9 toll goal is to push working-class commuters into the subways and buses, but fat New York cats continue to cruise down Manhattan roads. All to compensate for the state’s terrible, false transport budget, Duffy declared in an exclusive interview with the Post this week.
“The whole concept behind what they’re doing is distorted. It’s liberal insanity. She’s not on the subway, so she has the details that drive her.
“This is an elitist policy that allows the rich to use roads without traffic while the poor are taxed from access to Manhattan. That’s actually outrageous,” he continued.
“The Democrats say they care about the poor, but they’re completely ruined by this policy for the benefit of the rich who can afford it. I don’t think it’s fair just because they don’t make as much money as the elites who fund Hochul’s campaign.”
However, Duffy refused to provide details on how to squeeze rebellious governors to follow the latest federal deadlines to promote the brakes on New York’s crowd pricing program.
“I can’t micromanage MTAs, but I have a role in safety, I have a role in funding MTAs, and I have a role on federal highways in the Manhattan area,” he said ominously.
“So, in the role I have, I’m going to use it to make sure the average American is caring,” he added.
The battle with Hochul spiked this week after Hochul ignored Dot’s April 20 deadline to end the toll for vehicles entering Manhattan, south of 60th Avenue. The Transit Secretary was fired in a letter Monday that threatened to retain federal highway funds in the state if they could not provide an explanation by May 21.
“I didn’t think Congress actually expected that essentially blocking from urban areas would be used this way unless additional tolls were paid,” he told the Post.
On Wednesday, lawyers at the U.S. Lawyers in the Southern District of New York, on behalf of DOT in their fight against the Big Apple, accidentally uploaded a privilege memo to a court docket detailing the flaws in the department’s legal strategy. The lawyer has since been launched from the DOT legal team, but questions remain regarding the viability of the legal strategy.
A DOT spokesman said after the leak the SDNY memo “does not represent reality” and that the program was “unprecedentedly illegal.”
“If New York doesn’t close it, the Department of Transportation is considering suspending and funding the state’s projects,” the spokesman added without providing details.
DOT claims New York tolls are illegal as taxpayers have already paid for the currently restricted highway.
“After Donald Trump was elected, Hochul’s war on the working class was quickly approved by the Biden administration,” Dott spokeswoman Harry Dobbins told the Post. “Taxpayers have already raised funds on the highways, and Hochul is currently closed to drivers, and there is no free alternative.”
Hochul’s office did not reply to requests for comment on the post.
