New York City’s congestion pricing — the policy that puts a toll on entering one of New York City’s historically most traffic-afflicted areas — has been met with strong reactions from residents.
Now, one of the city’s most famous residents and current president is weighing in on the policy.
President Trump has long been on record of not being a fan of the policy that was introduced last month. Now, he and his team are ramping up their fight against the policy and moving beyond criticism toward actionable steps to get the policy nixed.
“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!” wrote President Trump on Truth Social, referring to himself as “the king” to the disapproval of many.
Congestion pricing has, among many things, acted as a case study in the movement for urbanism and better public transportation and a move away from cities’ focus on cars. Revenue from the poll is set to be used to improve and fund new public transportation in the city, repair existing transportation infrastructure, and improve other services.
Other cities across the world have implemented similar measures — and sometimes dissimilar — with the common goal of reducing traffic congestion.
New York’s policy generally charges $9 for anyone entering the Central Business District south of 60th Street in Manhattan, which includes areas like Wall Street, during peak hours of 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.; the policy has some fare variability depending on if you enter outside those peak hours or your type of vehicle, along with offerings of a low-income discount plan and exemptions for eligible trucks.
Some have called the new policy an extra tax burden to those who have to drive into the area in an already expensive city. Others championed the bold action of the city in trying to curb its world-infamous traffic congestion and make the streets safer and less polluted, both in noise and from car exhausts.
On Monday, Feb. 24, the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), which serves the New York City metro area, released new data about the program amidst all the legal battle chaos, which reports that in January alone, the program raised over $48 million from the polls. Additionally, CBS reports that major subway crime saw a 23 percent decrease in the last 28 days — a crucial point for congestion pricing advocates who point to public transit as an alternative to driving.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, at the request of President Trump, doubled down on the administration’s goal of putting an end to the policy. Last week, he sent a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, expressing his concerns with the policy.
“I share the President’s concerns about the impacts to working-class Americans who now have an additional financial burden to account for in their daily lives,” read the letter, which went on to say the scope of the project “exceeds the authority authorized by Congress” under the approved Value Pricing Pilot Program.
Gov. Hochul, an advocate of the program, pushed back.
We are a nation of laws, not ruled by a king. pic.twitter.com/PikwB5OwnM— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) February 19, 2025
Following President Trump’s remarks, Gov. Hochul held a press conference.
“This is an attack on our sovereign identity, our independence from Washington. We are not subservient to a king or anyone else out of Washington,” Gov. Hochul remarked at a press conference, as reported by Reuters.
Her team has since pledged to file a lawsuit alongside the MTA in hopes of fighting the administration on the issue. The city and the MTA have cited reduced commute times and safer streets with fewer accidents as some of the most immediate results of the program so far.
Other local leadership weighed in, too; New Jersey’s governor broke from its tri-state area neighbor and thanked President Trump for his actions.
“I want to thank President Trump and Secretary Duffy for their efforts to halt the current congestion pricing program in Manhattan’s Central Business District,” Gov. Murphy said in a statement.
For now, the controversial policy remains in effect. With a pullback of support from the federal government and the federal government’s willingness to withhold funding as leverage for negotiations with states that do not comply with its mandates, it remains to be seen how long this congestion pricing toll will continue.
Make it illegal to run anything but electric motors south of 60th Street. Imagine the real estate value you’d open up. This is precisely what the Vanderbilts did a century ago at Grand Central, creating Park Avenue. You can even call it a “Vanderbilt Plan.”