Gov. Kathy Hochul got her chance to pitch President Donald Trump face-to-face on the merits of congestion pricing during a White House meeting, her office confirmed.
“On Friday afternoon, Governor Hochul met with President Trump in the Oval Office for more than an hour,” Hochul spokesman Avi Small said in a statement obtained by NY1.
“The Governor and the President had a frank, candid conversation about New York’s key priorities, including congestion pricing, immigration, infrastructure, economic development, energy, offshore wind and nuclear power,” he continued.
What You Need To Know
- Gov. Kathy Hochul met with President Donald Trump to discuss the merits of congestion pricing during a Friday meeting in the White House
- State data shows less traffic, faster vehicle speeds, fewer late school bus arrivals and an uptick in Broadway attendance
- The toll for private vehicles entering Manhattan south of 60th Street is set at $9 for E-ZPass users
Hochul showed Trump and top White House officials a 22-page presentation titled “New York: Fast, Strong, Beautiful” — first reported by NY1 — boasting about the program’s alleged success during its first month in operation.
Congestion pricing began on Jan. 5. State data shows less traffic, faster vehicle speeds, fewer late school bus arrivals and an uptick in Broadway attendance.
Hochul was conspicuously absent from Democratic Governors Association dinner Friday night, according to a source, roughly the same time that the meeting occurred.
The Trump administration announced it would remove federal approval for congestion pricing earlier this week, prompting the MTA to file a lawsuit to keep it in place.
Both Hochul and MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said for now, the tolling cameras will stay on.
The discussion also happened days after Hochul canceled a scheduled lunch at the invitation of the president, after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi announced a lawsuit against Hochul and New York’s 2019 “greenlight” law.
Hochul previously “paused” congestion pricing’s implementation last June, arguing its start would have negative financial impact on New Yorkers.
Congestion pricing was passed in 2019 by the state Legislature and signed into law by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
In November, Hochul received federal approval under President Joe Biden’s administration to revive the plan days after Trump won his second term in the White House.
The governor argued congestion pricing is necessary to fund multi-billion dollar subway and other transportation infrastructure repairs.
Since then, Trump and members of New York’s Republican congressional delegation vowed to kill it.