New York City’s congestion pricing will remain in place until at least the fall, after the Trump administration backed off an arbitrary deadline to force the city to cease the program, according to a Monday court filing.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy demanded in February that New York end the program—which incentivizes people to use public transportation over cars by placing a toll on vehicle traffic, and then uses that toll revenue to fund the transit system.
And President Donald Trump took a preemptive victory lap, declaring himself “king” for trying to pull approval for the program.
“CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!” the White House wrote in a post on X, along with a photo of Trump in a crown.
But New York refused to end congestion pricing, saying the federal government could not back out of the contract the previous administration had made to allow the program to go into effect.
And New York Gov. Kathy Hochul vowed to fight the Trump administration in court to keep congestion pricing in place, saying the program is working.
“Since congestion pricing took effect over two months ago, traffic is down and business is up—and that’s the kind of progress we’re going to keep delivering for New Yorkers,” Hochul said in a March 21 news release. The release also said that traffic is down 11%, bridge crossings are 30% faster, honking complaints were down 70%, and transit ridership is up. “Every day, more New Yorkers are seeing and hearing the benefits for our commutes, quality of life and economy—and we’re not going back.”
New York did not even back down when Duffy threatened in March to pull billions in federal funding from the state if they did not cease congestion pricing—which polling shows is growing more popular among New Yorkers as the positive effects of the program are realized.
New York’s refusal to obey in advance is different from other entities targeted by Trump, which have cut deals rather than fight his illegal punishments. For example, some law firms that Trump has targeted because they employ his perceived enemies or challenge his illegal actions in court have agreed to do tens of millions of dollars worth of pro bono work for Trump’s pet causes in order to get the punitive executive orders lifted.
Of course, the fight over congestion pricing is far from over. The courts—which have been stacked to benefit Republicans—could side with the Trump administration and end congestion pricing. Trump could make good on his threats to pull federal funding from the state—which would bring on more legal challenges and potential pain for New Yorkers.
But in the meantime, New York is still running the program that is benefiting residents. And the state refused to back down to a wannabe dictator.
That’s a win.