Gov. Kathy Hochul is ready to blow by means of one other federal deadline meant to halt the $9 congestion toll to enter components of Manhattan, as NYC Mayor Eric Adams’ administration backed her in a lawsuit to maintain the wildly controversial scheme alive.
Each town and state Departments of Transportation on Friday joined a swimsuit the Hochul-controlled Metropolitan Transportation Authority filed in February — after the White Home threatened to dam the embattled company from persevering with to gather on the first-in-the-nation tolls that went into impact Jan. 5 to enter Manhattan under 60th Road.
“Despite the Administration’s ‘royal’ decree, its effort to summarily and unilaterally overturn the solution to the City’s congestion enacted by New Yorkers’ elected representatives is unlawful and invalid,” the amended criticism states.
The newest authorized salvo was fired because the White Home remained mum about what steps, if any, can be taken ought to New York snub the Sunday deadline set by the US Division of Transportation to quash the tolls.
Each the Governor’s Workplace and the MTA mentioned there’s no plan to close the toll cameras.
Nonetheless, the US DOT insisted Saturday it’s sticking by the deadline – regardless of an settlement reached in courtroom earlier this month between the MTA and Trump administration legal professionals to hold the toll cameras on till the autumn.
“The deadline is April 20th, and we expect New York to comply and terminate this program,” an company spokesperson mentioned. “USDOT will continue to fight for working class Americans whose tax dollars have already funded and paid for these roads.”
The company earlier this month posted on X it will “not hesitate to use every tool at our disposal” to close the tolls down if the state didn’t comply, however refused to supply specifics.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-Staten Island), a plaintiff in one of many many lawsuits looking for to dam the tolls, accused the Hochul administration of violating federal legislation by pushing by means of congestion pricing with out finishing a “full” environmental research on the affect on neighborhoods all through the Massive Apple.
“It’s not the first time the governor has violated our laws, right?” mentioned Malliotakis Saturday at an unrelated press convention on Staten Island.
“Whether it’s the sanctuary [city policies], state policy, whether it’s ignoring federal directives, this is just another example of how it’s rules for me, not for thee. They don’t want to comply with our federal law.”
The pol additionally mentioned she spoke with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy final week and discovered the Trump administration is “not letting go of this” and is “very focused on getting rid of this cash grab that is hurting” New Yorkers.
“I think that the Trump administration needs to come up with some type of penalization for not complying with this law,” she instructed The Put up.
“Maybe they want to look at withholding certain federal funds, for projects within Manhattan, within the congestion zone. Maybe the Second Avenue subway [expansion project], for example.”
The White Home beforehand demanded the MTA cease accumulating tolls March 21, however Duffy introduced earlier than the deadline that the US DOT granted a 30-day extension by means of Sunday as negotiations continued.
Adams, who has grown shut with Trump in latest months whereas remaining lukewarm on congestion pricing, has not publicly commented on his administration’s involvement within the authorized battle.
Town joined the swimsuit simply two weeks after the mayor’s historic federal corruption case was dropped. Critics speculated that Adams was cozying up in hopes of acquiring a presidential pardon earlier than a choose tossed the case.
The Mayor’s Workplace didn’t return messages.
Guardian Angels founder Curtis Sliwa, the presumptive Republican nominee on this yr’s mayoral race, mentioned the MTA ought to give attention to cracking down on subway scofflaws moderately than imposing unfair taxes.
“All their resources and focus should be on collecting the fares — which they are refusing to do,” he mentioned.
