New York state leaders have signaled they are open to reconsidering expensive “congestion pricing” programs in Midtown and Lower Manhattan. The program, which was originally planned to charge drivers $15 per day of admission, was reportedly intended to be implemented before President-elect Trump takes office.
Gov. Cathy Hochul canceled the long-held plan after initial backlash from state Democrats, but now some people in the Empire State are worried that President Trump will quickly jeopardize their revenue-generating dreams. It warns that it may be destroyed.
group of new york republicans wrote a letter He called on President Trump to use federal authority to reverse what he called an unfairly accelerated process by the Biden administration.
“Thanks to the MTA, we have just made progress in congestion pricing.” [Metropolitan Transportation Authority] and the Federal Highway Administration's (FHWA) manipulation of FHWA's Value Pricing Pilot Program (VPPP), a pilot program first authorized by Congress more than 30 years ago in 1991.” There is.
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New York Governor Kathy Hochul and President-elect Trump. (Getty Images)
“The Biden administration even conspired to allow an abbreviated environmental review in order for the program to bypass the normal process.”
Rep. Sam Graves (R-Missouri), chairman of the House Transportation Committee, said that President Trump has made clear his opposition, saying, “It's obvious politics to rush to enact legislation before the president takes office.'' It's a deliberate move.”
“Right before it was scheduled to begin this summer, and before the election, the governor took unilateral action to ‘indefinitely suspend’ the congestion pricing proposal, citing its unpopularity. “In a week, the proposal has been reinstated,” he said. Said.
State Sen. Andrew Gounardes, D-Bay Ridge, vice versa. told the Albany Times Union. As Republicans have called for, the congestion pricing plan must begin “immediately” “before President Trump blocks it.”
Congestion pricing would see video-compulsory tolls imposed on newly constructed gantries surrounding the city centre. Traffic traveling under 60th Street and Central Park and traffic entering from New Jersey, Brooklyn, or Queens is subject to tolls, except via the RFK Triboro Bridge and the George Washington Bridge.
Lawmakers, including Rep. Michael Lawler of Rockland County, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of Staten Island, Rep. Andrew Garbarino of Long Island, Rep. Nick Larota and Rep. Anthony D'Esposito, called on President Trump to take action.
“Congestion pricing, the latest installment in a long line of overbearing taxes, is a challenge to New York State families and workers, the timing of the initiative, areas lacking adequate transportation, the fiscal responsibility of relocation, and the burden on New York State families and workers.” “This will have a negative impact on residents, including those in some low-income areas of New York City,” they wrote.
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“Governor Hochul recently announced that he will pursue near-immediate implementation of congestion toll cash grabs, despite cynically “pausing” them earlier this year to take back the House. ”
Lawmakers argue that Hochul took the latest action because the measure failed to generate goodwill for Democratic Party members elected in the previous election, and that Hochul took the action because it failed to generate goodwill for Democratic Party members elected in the last election. He added that the MTA is running large deficits due to fare evasion, internal waste and fraud.
Democratic-majority New Jersey joined with Republican-majority Long Island legislators in bipartisan opposition to the plan, and at one point the Garden State filed a lawsuit.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said Thursday that he “continues to firmly oppose any attempt to force a vote on congestion pricing proposals in the final months of the Biden administration.”
“We all need to heed the message that voters across the country sent last Tuesday: the vast majority of Americans are experiencing severe economic strain and are still feeling the effects of inflation. “There's never been a better time to impose a new policy, which would impose a $9 toll on individuals traveling to downtown Manhattan for work, school, or leisure,” he said. Ta.
Murphy said New York never meaningfully consulted New Jersey when developing plans that would significantly impact its neighbors.
Rep. Tom Keene, Jr. (R.N.J.) agreed with Murphy, calling the program a “cash grab” on commuters.
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The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is sponsored by the state. (Getty Images)
”[T] “This effort has always been simply a way to take money out of the pockets of New Jerseyans and bail out the MTA from its mountain of debt,” he said.
MTA Chairman Jano Lieber said Thursday that a problematic transit system, including “buses that are slower than walking” and an increase in car accidents, “is not the New York we all want to live in.”
As for critics of congestion pricing, Lieber suggested that if first responders in a particular town find themselves in a Manhattan-style logjam, residents and local officials will likely clamor for a solution.
Mr. Hochul previously said he wanted to set the fee at around $9, slightly lower than the original $15 due to inflation, but Mr. Lieber on Thursday asked whether lowering the fee could achieve the same revenue goal. He indicated that he would be willing to consider it.
The news arrives as a Democratic Party. New York City Comptroller Bradford Lander President Trump's inauguration poses 'significant risks to New York City' [including in] Education, housing, health care, transportation… even the mass deportation of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers. ”
FOX News Digital reached out to Team Trump for a response and asked Hochul for additional comment.
