A standoff between the U.S. Department of Transportation and New York over the state’s congestion pricing program has been extended.
In February, the DOT’s Federal Highway Administration told New York that it had to end the collection of congestion pricing tolls by March 21. New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Metropolitan Transportation Authority CEO Janno Lieber said they had no plans to comply with the order.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy then responded by giving the state another month.
“@GovKathyHochul – the federal government and @POTUS are putting New York on notice,” Duffy posted on X. “Your refusal to end cordon pricing and your open disrespect towards the federal government is unacceptable … We will provide New York with a 30-day extension as discussions continue. 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.”
.@GovKathyHochul — the federal government and @POTUS are putting New York on notice.
Your refusal to end cordon pricing and your open disrespect towards the federal government is unacceptable.
Just as your high tolls and no free road option are a slap in the face to hard…
— Secretary Sean Duffy (@SecDuffy) March 20, 2025
The threat didn’t appear to deter the state. Hochul responded to Duffy by highlighting her previous comment that “The cameras are staying on.”
Like I said… https://t.co/lrnlj3pSMV
— Governor Kathy Hochul (@GovKathyHochul) March 20, 2025
The state and the MTA argue that this is a legal matter. Following FHWA’s order in February, the MTA filed a federal lawsuit. Hochul and Lieber said they have no plans to stop the program unless there is a court order.
“I’m not shutting it off,” Hochul told NBC New York on Tuesday. “I’m not shutting it off. As I repeated in the Oval Office (last) Friday, the cameras are not going off. It is working. It was a state decision. We had the proper federal approvals for this.”
Although the congestion pricing program includes passenger vehicles, it is especially problematic for the trucking industry.
The Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association supports the DOT’s decision to pull approval.
“(Truckers) routinely have no other choice than to drive through metropolitan areas during periods of high congestion because of the rigidity of current federal hours-of-service requirements,” OOIDA President Todd Spencer said. “Additionally, shippers and receivers generally have little regard for a driver’s schedule, frequently requiring loading and unloading to occur at times when nearby roads are most congested. New York City’s congestion pricing plan was anti-trucker to begin with, and we will continue fighting to ensure it doesn’t come back. Beyond New York City, we encourage the Trump administration and Congress to fight the expansion of tolling across the country.”
The American Trucking Associations and Trucking Association of New York also spoke out against the program, noting that passenger vehicles are charged $9 daily while trucks are forced to pay up to $21.60 each time they enter the zone. LL
Land Line Associate Editor Tyson Fisher contributed to this report.
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