In a dramatic legal turn, a federal judge has temporarily blocked an effort by the Trump administration to dismantle New York City’s congestion pricing program — a first-of-its-kind system designed to declutter Manhattan streets and funnel billions into the city’s aging transit infrastructure.
The ruling, issued just hours before the U.S. Department of Transportation was set to begin withholding approvals for vital New York infrastructure projects, halts enforcement efforts until at least June 9. U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman made it clear: no political strong-arming, no threats — just due process.
The congestion pricing plan, launched in January, charges most drivers $9 to enter Manhattan below 60th Street during peak hours. The aim? Fewer cars, cleaner air, faster commutes, and crucially, a funding stream for the city’s crumbling subway and bus systems.
But in February, the Trump administration tried to pull the plug. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy called it unfair to drivers who lacked a toll-free alternative, accusing the city of taxing working people to prop up a transit system they don’t use. The administration rescinded the federal green light that the Biden-era DOT had granted just months earlier.
New York wasn’t having it.
The state, city, and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority filed a lawsuit to stop what they called a politically motivated attack — one conveniently aligned with Donald Trump’s online declaration: “LONG LIVE THE KING!” That post included a photoshopped image of Trump in royal garb, a symbolic flex that New York argued revealed the true, non-policy-driven nature of the move.
Governor Kathy Hochul called Tuesday’s ruling “a massive victory for New York commuters,” defending the state’s right to manage its own streets and its own clean-air future.
MTA Chair Janno Lieber said the judge “wants no more coercive threats” from Washington and has ordered a fast-track timeline to settle the matter in court.
In the meantime, the congestion pricing program is doing exactly what it promised. From January through March, car volume in the toll zone dropped by as much as 13%, equaling 5.8 million fewer vehicle trips. April traffic fell another 12%. Commute times shrank. Retail and pedestrian traffic surged. Hotel bookings climbed. The city, it seems, is moving again — just not in the direction the Trump team hoped.
The $15 billion in anticipated funding from the tolls is intended to support long-overdue capital upgrades to the region’s transit backbone. And though the case is far from over, for now, New York’s streets — and its budget — are breathing a little easier.
