President-elect Donald Trump blasted New York Gov. Kathy Hochul’s congestion pricing plan for vehicles entering certain parts of New York City, warning “businesses will flee” over the $9 tax, down from a proposed $15 earlier this year.
“I have great respect for the Governor of New York, Kathy Hochul, and look forward to working with her to Make New York and America Great Again. But I strongly disagree with the decision on the congestion tax,” Trump told The New York Post. “It has never worked, but especially so with a city, town, or village that is trying to come back from very rough times, which can certainly be said of New York City. It will put New York City at a disadvantage over competing cities and states, and businesses will flee."
The president-elect called the plan, which is now set to begin in January, a “massive tax” that “will hurt workers, families, and businesses, but in particular, anything to do with jobs. It is the most regressive tax known to womankind (man!).”
Statement from @realDonaldTrump on the return of congestion pricing: pic.twitter.com/DqW2fvRsNq
— Jason Beeferman (@JasonBeeferman) November 14, 2024
Hochul’s revived congestion pricing plan intends to address some concerns about impacts on lower-income people, though implementation could be difficult.
The new plan includes a 50% discount that would be available to people who earn under $50,000 a year and take effect after 10 trips in any month.
The scheme is aimed to alleviate both congestion and the environmental effects of idling cars, was pitched by the Democrat as a bargain compared to the earlier plan.
“This lower toll will save daily commuters nearly $1,500 annually, and that kind of money makes a big difference for our families,” Hochul said.
Proceeds would fund the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which manages the subway system, city buses and commuter rail lines, including the Long Island Rail Road.
The area where drivers would face tolls, known as the Congestion Relief Zone, encompasses Midtown and Lower Manhattan south of 60th Street.
Some regional Democrats strongly oppose the concept, including New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy, whose administration filed a lawsuit last year arguing the earlier version of the plan violated the Constitution’s Commerce Clause, which gives the federal government the power to regulate trade across state lines. (New York Post)
New York Republicans have asked Trump to "end" the "cash grab once and for all."
“Congestion pricing, the latest in a long string of tyrannical taxes, has been pressed forward through consistent opposition about the burden on New York families and workers, the timing of the effort, areas lacking adequate transit, the fiscal responsibility of the move, the negative impact that congestion pricing will have on residents of some of the lowest-income neighborhoods in New York City, and more,” stated a letter sent to Trump by U.S. Rep. Mike Lawler, which was co-signed by Reps. Nicole Malliotakis and Andrew Garbarino.
“Governor Hochul recently announced that she would pursue an almost immediate implementation of the congestion pricing cash grab, despite cynically `pausing’ it earlier this year in an effort to win back the House,” the letter continued. “Now that her efforts have failed, she is planning to fast track this cash grab which will only serve to throw fuel on the fire of the driving force of this effort: the horrific mismanagement of the MTA’s massive, bloated budget by the MTA and Hochul.”
Hochul reportedly got "testy" when asked last week about Trump's reaction to the congestion pricing plan.
“In your first days in office, don’t eviscerate the public transportation system, help us,” she said, reports the Post. “Fix that first before you say a word about what I’m doing.”