Trump Admin Grants 30 Day Extension for NYC to End Congestion Toll for Manhattan Drivers 👉 Updatem News

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the extension will give officials more time to discuss the program.

The Trump administration announced on March 20 that it is extending a deadline it gave to New York City last month to end its $9 congestion pricing program for drivers entering parts of Manhattan.

In February, the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration terminated approval of the program and gave the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA)—which operates the city’s subways, buses, and regional rail networks—until March 21 to stop collecting tolls from drivers entering Manhattan.

However, in a statement on social media platform X, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the federal government is now extending the original deadline by 30 days as discussions continue.

Duffy also took aim at New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.

“Your refusal to end cordon pricing and your open disrespect towards the federal government is unacceptable,” he wrote.

“Just as your high tolls and no free road option are a slap in the face to hard working Americans, your refusal to approve two vital pipelines that will lower fuel costs by 50% are against the public’s best interests.

“Your unlawful pricing scheme charges working-class citizens to use roads their federal tax dollars already paid to build.

“Know that the billions of dollars the federal government sends to New York are not a blank check. Continued noncompliance will not be taken lightly.”

The congestion pricing program went into effect in New York City on Jan. 5, in addition to tolls drivers already pay to cross bridges and tunnels into Manhattan.

Hochul’s administration says the program is meant to help relieve traffic congestion, tackle pollution, and provide millions of dollars in new revenue to the city’s beleaguered transit system.

Under the program, drivers of passenger and small commercial vehicles entering Manhattan below 60th Street during peak hours—from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on weekends—are charged a standard fee of $9. From 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. on weekdays and from 9 p.m. to 9 a.m. on weekends, that fare goes down to $2.25.

For motorcycles, that toll is $4.50 during the peak period and $1.05 during the overnight period.

Additionally, small trucks and some buses will pay $14.40 during peak hours and $3.60 during the non-peak period, and large trucks and tour buses pay a toll of $21.60 during the peak period and $5.40 during the overnight period.

The program, which offers some discounts to low-income drivers, drew opposition from the Trump administration amid concerns that it will unfairly impact working-class Americans and small businesses.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) also called for the program to be stopped, citing concerns over its impact on New Jersey commuters.

Despite those concerns, the MTA has said it does not intend to pull the congestion pricing plan. Last month, it filed a lawsuit challenging the Transportation Department’s termination, arguing the move is unlawful.

Hochul took to X shortly after Duffy’s post to double down on her stance, sharing a post she originally shared on the platform in February after the Transportation Department pulled federal approval of the program.

“The cameras are staying on,” the post reads, seemingly referring to the system of traffic cameras used to assess the tolls to drivers in the congestion zone.

Avi Small, a spokesperson for Hochul’s office, also shrugged off the new deadline in a statement to the media.

“We’ve seen Secretary Duffy’s tweet, which doesn’t change what Governor Hochul has been saying all along: the cameras are staying on,” Small said.

Michael Washburn and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Original News Source Link – Epoch Times

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