Congestion pricing stays as MTA battles Trump administration in court
The Federal Highway Administration set a deadline for Friday, March 21 for the toll to end, but the MTA isn't changing anything for now.
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It's been over two months since congestion pricing began, charging a $9 toll for those headed into the congestion zone.
In the past few weeks, it's faced federal pushback, but the MTA is fighting back.
Since February, the Trump administration has tried to stop the program.
The Federal Highway Administration set a deadline for Friday, March 21 for the toll to end, but the MTA isn't changing anything for now.
After the first month, the MTA released numbers, sharing they made over $48 million in revenue from the program, and are on track to collect $500 million in net revenue for the first full year.
The Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the toll is a "slap in the face to working-class Americans and small business owners."
The Trump administration has tried to stop it, now it's in the hand of the courts.
The MTA filed a suit in Manhattan federal court in February. The argument, the Trump administration cannot revoke the federal approval for the program.
In a press conference, the Chair and CEO of the MTA, Janno Lieber, said the program has had amazing benefits and is successful by every standard. He says the legal battle continues, but nothing is going to change.
"This is not a test of wills, it's just reality, when you have a dispute, things don't change until a court orders it, and that has not yet taken place, and we don't expect it will, because we're on pretty strong legal footing," said Lieber.
Lieber said they are very confident there won't be a rollback of congestion pricing, and that Friday's deadline will come and go.
"The deadline will come and go and the congestion pricing program will continue to deliver," said Liber.
