Key Takeaways:
- Congestion Pricing Clash: President Trump vowed to have his transportation secretary move to “terminate” New York City’s congestion pricing program, which charges drivers up to $27 to enter Manhattan.
- Economic Fallout: Trump accused Governor Hochul of turning New York into a “ghost town” by driving away small businesses and commuters with excessive taxes and energy costs.
- Federal Intervention Looms: The Trump administration is reviewing ways to block the tolls, calling the policy “a slap in the face to working-class Americans,” as court battles with the MTA continue.
President Trump tore into New York Governor Kathy Hochul this week, blasting her “ridiculous” congestion pricing plan and accusing her of driving the Empire State into economic ruin.
“The entire State is going to hell, so the Federal Government will, of necessity, get involved!” Trump wrote on Truth Social, vowing to have Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy “take a good, long look at terminating New York City Congestion Pricing.”
Hochul’s controversial program, which began in January, charges drivers up to $27 just to enter Manhattan. The governor claims it will reduce traffic and improve air quality, but Trump says it’s doing the opposite—emptying the city’s streets and crushing small businesses. “New York City is getting KILLED by her ridiculous CONGESTION PRICING, where people have to pay a fortune to come into Manhattan – So they just don’t come! The place is a ghost town,” Trump said.
Duffy has already taken steps to pull federal approval for the program, calling it “a slap in the face to working-class Americans and small business owners.” The MTA responded by suing the federal government, dismissing Trump’s order as a “royal decree.”
Trump also hit Hochul for skyrocketing energy costs and her failure to build vital infrastructure. “She can’t get an Upstate, and, separately, Long Island PIPELINE built,” he said, pointing to the scrapped Northeast Supply Enhancement project.
Bad policy has turned New York’s economic powerhouse into a ghost town, and Washington is ready to step in.