On Thursday, President Trump’s former Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy granted Governor Kathy Hochul a 30-day reprieve to halt the controversial congestion pricing program.
Duffy, in a bold tweet issued just a day before the original Friday deadline set by the federal government, made it clear to Hochul that Trump and his administration were issuing a warning.
He criticized the governor for showing a lack of respect and for refusing to abolish the “cordon,” or congestion, pricing initiative.
“Your unlawful pricing scheme charges working-class citizens to use roads their federal tax dollars already paid to build,” he expressed angrily, though he allowed for more time for the governor to act.
“We will provide New York with a 30-day extension as discussions continue.”
He cautioned, “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.”
Despite the federal deadline, Hochul and the MTA officials had made clear their intentions to continue charging the $9 tolls for motorists.
They maintained that the program would remain in place as long as the legal battle over Duffy’s efforts to revoke the toll approval was ongoing.
Duffy’s tweet implied that Hochul’s discussions with Trump regarding a pipeline deal may have played a role in granting the extension.
“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,” he remarked.
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