{"id":151471,"date":"2026-03-03T20:00:32","date_gmt":"2026-03-03T20:00:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/151471\/"},"modified":"2026-03-03T20:00:32","modified_gmt":"2026-03-03T20:00:32","slug":"new-yorks-congestion-toll-into-manhattan-upheld-by-a-federal-judge-over-trumps-objections-national","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/151471\/","title":{"rendered":"New York\u2019s congestion toll into Manhattan upheld by a federal judge over Trump\u2019s objections | National"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s administration’s efforts to halt New York\u2019s first-in-the-nation<\/a> congestion fee meant to reduce traffic and pump revenue into the region\u2019s aging transit system.<\/p>\n

U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman on Tuesday ruled that the U.S. Department of Transportation lacked the authority to unilaterally rescind approval of the $9 toll, which was initially green-lighted<\/a> by former Democratic President Joe Biden.<\/p>\n

Instead, he sided with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which had argued that the department\u2019s reversal was \u201carbitrary and capricious\u201d because the agency had not adequately explained its reasoning.<\/p>\n

In his 149-page ruling<\/a>, Liman noted that New York’s legislature passed the toll, which was signed into law by its governor and received the necessary federal approvals before launching.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe democratic process worked,\u201d he wrote, even as he left the door open for future attempts by Trump and other opponents to kill the program, which took effect on Jan. 5, 2025<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Gov. Kathy Hochul said the decision vindicates a \u201conce-in-a-lifetime success story\u201d that’s \u201cyielded huge benefits\u201d in its first year of operation, including reducing gridlock and unlocking critical funding for mass transit.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe judge\u2019s decision is clear: Donald Trump\u2019s unlawful attempts to trample on the self-governance of his home state have failed spectacularly,” the Democrat said in a statement. \u201cCongestion pricing is legal, it works, and it is here to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spokespersons for USDOT didn\u2019t immediately respond to an email seeking comment.<\/p>\n

New York\u2019s congestion toll is imposed on most vehicles driving into Manhattan south of Central Park.<\/p>\n

The toll varies depending on vehicle type and time of day, and is added to tolls drivers already pay to cross bridges and tunnels into Manhattan, but generally costs about $9.<\/p>\n

Congestion pricing schemes aimed at reducing traffic pollution and encouraging public transit use have long existed in other global cities, including London, Stockholm, Milan and Singapore, but not in the U.S.<\/p>\n

But Trump, whose namesake Trump Tower and other properties are within the congestion zone, has strongly opposed the idea.<\/p>\n

During his presidential campaign, he vowed to kill New York’s plan as soon as he took office. Then last February, his transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, rescinded the toll’s federal approval<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Duffy at the time called the toll \u201ca slap in the face to working-class Americans and small business owners” and threatened to withhold federal funding for projects in New York if it wasn\u2019t discontinued.<\/p>\n

But Liman temporarily blocked the administration from following through on those threats until he issued a final ruling. The judge previously dismissed a series of lawsuits<\/a> brought by the local opponents, including New Jersey\u2019s governor, unionized teachers in New York City, a trucking industry group and local suburban leaders.<\/p>\n

Hochul had also been initially skeptical of the toll, which had been in the works years before she took office. The governor paused its planned rollout<\/a> in 2024, citing economic concerns, before ultimately deciding to lower the fee<\/a> from $15 to $9.<\/p>\n

As the program marked its first anniversary in January, Hochul, who is up for reelection, joined the MTA in touting the toll’s benefits.<\/p>\n

According to a recent MTA report<\/a>, the toll has led to some 27 million fewer vehicles coming into the heart of Manhattan, resulting in 22% less air pollution and 23% faster commute times for those opting to drive and pay the fee.<\/p>\n

The toll has also generated more than $550 million in revenue for the region\u2019s creaky and cash-strapped transit system \u2014 exceeding projections, the MTA has said.<\/p>\n

Sales tax revenues, office leases and foot traffic in the congestion zone have all increased since the toll took effect, disproving concerns it would hurt the local economy, according to the agency.<\/p>\n

\u201cTraffic is down, business is up, and we\u2019re making crucial investments in a transit system that moves millions of people a day,\u201d Janno Lieber, the MTA’s CEO, said Tuesday. “New York is winning.\u201d<\/p>\n

Copyright 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 A federal judge has blocked President Donald Trump’s administration’s efforts to halt New York\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":151472,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[75,84,83,531,9,24,63],"class_list":{"0":"post-151471","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manhattan","8":"tag-manhattan","9":"tag-manhattan-headlines","10":"tag-manhattan-news","11":"tag-national","12":"tag-new-york","13":"tag-new-york-city","14":"tag-nyc"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151471","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=151471"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/151471\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/151472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=151471"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=151471"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=151471"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}