Trump administration threatens to withhold funding for NYC highway projects if congestion pricing continues

ALBANY — The Trump administration issued yet another verbal threat Monday about stopping congestion pricing in Manhattan while not seeking a court order to do so.

In response, state officials continued to say congestion pricing — the imposing of tolls to reduce Manhattan gridlock and encourage mass transit use — is on solid legal footing and is accomplishing its goals.

Sean Duffy, the Trump administration’s transportation secretary, issued a letter to Gov. Kathy Hochul, threatening to withhold federal funding for New York City highway projects if the state doesn’t pull the plug on the tolls. Launched in January, congestion pricing charges a $9 toll for most passenger vehicles to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street.

"The federal government sends billions (of dollars) to New York — but we won’t foot the bill if Governor Hochul continues to implement (the) toll," Duffy said, in part, in the letter. He added he was "giving New York one last chance."

Duffy, who previously said New York State had to shutter the program by Easter Sunday, said the federal government might withhold funding and authorizations for various Manhattan-related transportation projects.

Hochul and the MTA said the license-plate-reading cameras are staying on.

"I received the letter from the U.S.D.O.T. extending their congestion pricing threats once again," Hochul said. "I repeat: congestion pricing is legal — and it’s working. Traffic is down, business is up and the cameras are staying on."

Columbia University law professor Michael Gerrard said if the Trump administration really wanted to halt congestion pricing immediately, it would "go to court to seek an injunction instead of sending a letter."

"This strikes me as a very soft demand," Gerrard said of Duffy's letter.

The MTA recently released data saying Manhattan traffic has declined 13% since congestion pricing began — about 82,000 fewer cars per day.

Earlier this year, Duffy rescinded the Biden administration’s approval for congestion pricing. The MTA sued, contending President Donald Trump couldn’t unilaterally end the program, and said it won’t take down the cameras unless ordered by a court.

On Monday, MTA chairman and CEO Janno Lieber said: "We have received Secretary Duffy’s letter setting yet another new deadline and are evaluating MTA’s legal options, given that the legal issues raised in the letter are already appropriately before a federal judge. In the meantime, cameras are staying on, and New Yorkers continue to benefit from the first-in-the-nation congestion pricing program — with less traffic, cleaner air, safer streets and a stronger regional economy."

Besides traffic reduction, a goal of the program is to generate billions of dollars in revenue to help fund mass transit upgrades around the metropolitan area.

Duffy said he was giving New York until May 21 to terminate the toll or demonstrate why the program doesn’t violate a federal ban on tolls on roads that received federal subsidies.

A member of a citizens advisory group to the MTA said Duffy had no grounds to terminate congestion pricing and would have to explain why it isn’t seeking to terminate tolls in many other states.

"Unless Secretary Duffy is proposing to make all toll roads free nationally, his stated rationale for ending congestion relief holds no water," said Brian Fritsch, associate director of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, in a statement. "Congestion relief will continue unless a court orders it to stop, and the program is undefeated despite a torrent of flimsy legal challenges."

By Yancey Roy

yancey.roy@newsday.com@yanceyroy