Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) knew how she wanted to appeal to President Donald Trump on New York City’s congestion pricing plan.
“Big words” and “nice colors” were included in her presentation to him, she told a laughing Metropolitan Transportation Authority Board on Wednesday. The governor thought that presenting the plan’s positives in an attractive way last week during a White House visit could convince Trump to halt his opposition.
The plea hasn’t worked.
The Trump administration hasn’t changed its stance on congestion pricing since Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called for the program’s end in a letter to the governor last week. The MTA has sued to stop the program’s blockage.
The federal Department of Transportation added additional pressure with a letter sent on Wednesday to top New York transportation officials, informing them the termination of the plan will be effective on March 21.
However, the MTA is unlikely to comply.
“We’re not done. We are in court. We have said that you may have asked for ‘orderly cessation’ — that was the phrase that came in the letter to us, ‘orderly cessation.’ I will propose something in the alternative: ‘orderly resistance.’ We will keep standing up for New Yorkers,” Hochul said.
The largely $9 toll for drivers entering Manhattan has reduced congestion, improved Broadway foot traffic, and reduced traffic-related fatalities, proponents of the plan have said.
At the moment, it’s still in effect after being installed in early January. Trump called for its end well before the start of his administration, and several New York House Republicans such as Reps. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) and Mike Lawler (R-NY) took part in pressuring him to do so.
It’s unlikely he’ll backtrack on the termination.
TRACKING WHAT DOGE IS DOING ACROSS THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
Hochul hopes the city’s residents can fight back against him.
“I know there’s a lot of power in that Oval Office,” she said. “But I’ll put that power up against the power of 6 million pissed-off commuters in New York City.”