The Trump administration moved to end the MTA congestion pricing program this afternoon.
In a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul, USDOT Secretary Sean Duffy stated he is terminating FHWA approval of the program and FHWA officials will be in contact with state authorities “to discuss the orderly cessation of toll operations under this terminated pilot project.”
Formally, Duffy rescinded the November 2024 Value Pricing Pilot Program (VPPP) agreement among state and federal agencies that authorized initiation of the tolling initiative. He stated that an evaluation of the program he conducted at Trump’s direction led him to conclude that it “exceeds the authority authorized by Congress under VPPP” for two reasons. First, it deprives motorists of any toll-free access to the Manhattan congestion zone. Secondly, the primary motivation for tolling appears to be revenue generation rather than congestion reduction. Duffy acknowledged that he took into consideration public concerns raised by Trump and legal issues raised by New Jersey’s governor and other litigants challenging FHWA and MTA in court.
For the most part, Duffy’s letter is a formal, legalistic explanation for his action. Not so the accompanying news release. In it, the secretary calls the program “a slap in the face to working class Americans and small business owners” who are required to pay tolls to use Manhattan infrastructure they have already financed with their taxes. It “leaves drivers without any free highway alternative, and instead, takes more money from working people to pay for a transit system and not highways. It’s backwards and unfair.” He adds, “Every American should be able to access New York City regardless of their economic means. It shouldn’t be reserved for an elite few.”
MTA immediately filed a challenge to Duffy’s decision in federal court.