President Donald Trump’s administration has taken steps to block New York City’s congestion pricing toll program. U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy sent a letter to New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Wednesday, stating that the Federal Highway Administration’s approval of the pilot program was “not authorized by law.”
In a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, Duffy criticized the plan, saying, “New York State’s congestion pricing plan is a slap in the face to working-class Americans and small business owners. Commuters using the highway system to enter New York City have already financed the construction and improvement of these highways through the payment of gas taxes and other taxes. But now the toll program leaves drivers without any free highway alternative, and instead, takes more money from working people to pay for a transit system and not highways. It’s backwards and unfair.”
He further added, “The program also hurts small businesses in New York that rely on customers from New Jersey and Connecticut. Finally, it impedes the flow of commerce into New York by increasing costs for trucks, which in turn could make goods more expensive for consumers. Every American should be able to access New York City regardless of their economic means. It shouldn’t be reserved for an elite few.”
