NEW YORK — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul says she told President Donald Trump in a private meeting at the White House that congestion pricing tolls in New York City are necessary and working, yet the Democrat predicted the courts will likely decide the matter.
Last week Trump withdrew federal support for the program, which charges motorists a fee for driving into certain parts of Manhattan.
Hochul acknowledged it’s questionable whether her arguments will persuade Trump to revisit his decision, but said in an interview on CBS’s Face the Nation that it’s up to New York to decide the tolls’ fate. Fellow Democratic Gov. Phil Murphy of neighboring New Jersey fought the program in court and wrote a letter to Trump imploring him to kill it.
“With all due respect to the state of New Jersey, they do not tell us in New York what to do, nor does Washington when it comes to policies that we believe are going to reduce congestion,” Hochul said, noting how emergency vehicles are moving faster and air quality is improving since tolling began in January. “So, I have arguments that are important, but no one else should be able to second guess us because that’s not how our system of laws and states was set up.”
When asked if she thought the program’s fate would ultimately be decided in court, Hochul said: “Oh yes, it’s going to the courts. And I believe we will be victorious in the courts, and this program will continue.”
A message seeking comment was left with the White House on Sunday.
The Trump administration on Wednesday ordered a stop to congestion pricing, which launched Jan. 5 as part of a bid to thin traffic and fund mass transit by imposing a $9 toll on most vehicles entering Manhattan south of Central Park. Transit officials said the toll has brought modest but measurable traffic reductions.
The president, whose namesake Trump Tower penthouse and other properties are within the congestion zone, vowed to kill the plan as soon as he took office. He declared victory on his social networking site Truth Social after the Transportation Department announcement.
Hochul and Trump met for more than an hour on Friday afternoon in the Oval Office, where the governor presented a booklet showing the early success of the congestion pricing. The pair also discussed other issues including immigration, infrastructure, economic development, energy, offshore wind and nuclear power, Hochul’s press secretary Avi Small said.
Hochul, who said Sunday she believes there are some areas where she and Trump can work together, said they did not discuss the fate of New York City Mayor Eric Adams. A federal judge on Friday canceled the mayor’s corruption trial, but appointed counsel to advise the court about the Justice Department’s controversial request to drop charges against the Democrat.
Hochul accused the administration of creating an appearance of “holding the city hostage” and “trying to create chaos” by intervening in the Adams case.