NEW YORK (1010 WINS) – Gov. Kathy Hochul defended congestion pricing on Friday, calling it a "game changer" for New Yorkers, as she prepares to defend the nascent tolling program in a third phone call with President Donald Trump next week.
Hochul’s comments came a day after reports said Trump, who has publicly criticized congestion pricing, was considering making a move to end the program weeks after it began.
A source told 1010 WINS on Thursday that the Republican president and Democratic governor had been discussing the issue since he returned to the White House but that no decision had been finalized.
“He and people around him have said they’re not supportive of this, but my job is to advocate on behalf of New York state and our policies,” the governor said at an unrelated event Friday.
The governor’s office has characterized their conversations as cordial as she presses him to keep the program.
“There’s going to be a follow-up conversation on this next week,” Hochul said. “I don’t know what the outcome will be, all I know is I’ll always go into the arena and fight.”
While the governor would not say exactly what she and the president discussed, she said congestion pricing is benefitting New Yorkers, with MTA data showing commute times into Manhattan down as much as 30%.
“It’s quality of life, back with their families,” Hochul said. “Anecdotally, we all know the case. I had a gentleman from Rockland who said I now get up at 5:30 in the morning instead of 4:30 in the morning.”
“That is a game changer for people, so I cannot say what [Trump] knows about those stories, but there will certainly be more information as the MTA collects data,” she said.
As Trump fills his cabinet with opponents of congestion pricing, including former U.S. Reps. Lee Zeldin and Marc Molinaro, Hochul appealed to New York Republicans in Congress who've been ardent opponents of the toll.
“When you get back to Washington and do your job, you oppose this—your constituents are getting to work sooner now and you don’t care—you go find the money for us,” Hochul said.
Staten Island Republican Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis said Trump had already tasked the U.S. Department of Transportation to look at legal options to halt the program.
The New York Times reported Thursday that the DOT was considering withdrawing a key federal authorization that the Biden administration gave the program last year, effectively killing it.
Asked Friday if Trump would intervene on congestion pricing, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said, "I do know that the president spoke with Gov. Hochul about that. I don't have anything to read out about those actions today."
Trump vowed to "terminate" congestion pricing when he assumed office, though he has yet to do so despite a barrage of activity from his administration over the past two weeks.
The tolling program charges most drivers $9 daily to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, with the price varying by time of day and the type of vehicle. Its goals include reducing traffic, funding the subway and improving air quality.
The program overcame a barrage of lawsuits and years of delays to take effect Jan. 5. The MTA said this week that the program, which it oversees, has been effective at reducing the number of vehicles in the "Congestion Relief Zone," with travel times 10% to 30% faster at inbound river crossings, according to new data.
The controversial toll has been hailed as long overdue by supporters that include mass transit and environmental advocates, but it's also reviled by many drivers, including suburban commuters and many cabbies. Hochul herself temporarily paused the rollout of congestion pricing last June and ultimately lowered the toll from $15 to $9 over affordability concerns.
A lawsuit against the program brought by New Jersey is still pending. Just last week, Gov. Phil Murphy wrote Trump saying they could find common ground on the program, which he called a “disaster for working- and middle-class New Jersey commuters and residents.”
Amid the reports, the MTA has pointed to recent comments by MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber, who said, “We’ve been sued in every federal court and state court east of the Mississippi, and we’re batting 1.000. We’ve won every time.”