Gov. Kathy Hochul warned not to revive NYC congestion pricing by coalition of lawmakers
NEW YORK -- Gov. Kathy Hochul received a stern warning on Tuesday from a bipartisan group of lawmakers: revive the New York City congestion pricing plan at your peril.
Hochul has said she wants to end the pause on the plan, reducing the toll from $15 to $9.
"These conversations are not new. We have been in communication with the White House, the Federal Highway Administration, [President Joe] Biden's chief of staff, Secretary [Pete] Buttigieg since June," Hochul said Tuesday morning.
The group of city, state and federal lawmakers, however, is counting on the new Republican majority in Washington and a bill to strip the MTA of federal aid if the pause is taken off the plan.
Republican power in D.C. and the Anti-Congestion Tax Act
Democrats and Republicans gathered on Staten Island with one goal, to drive a stake through the heart of the tolling plan.
"Gov. Hochul can do all she wants over the next two months to try and jam this through and in the end, this program will be dead, period," said Rep. Mike Lawler, who represents several communities in the northern suburbs.
Lawler said he has drawn up a battle plan to stop congestion pricing, even if Hochul pushes it through with a lower price tag. It's a bill known as the Anti-Congestion Tax Act, which seeks to deny federal aid to the MTA as long as drivers are charged a fee to enter the Central Business District below 60th Street in Manhattan.
"On the federal level, we have a new administration. We have Republican majorities in the House and the Senate. We are going to advance legislation with President [Donald] Trump to stop this program dead in its tracks," Lawler said.
"We urge the governor to look within her own budget and prioritize spending so it actually goes towards the things that people deserve and want," Staten Island Rep. Nicole Malliotakis said.
But it wasn't just Republicans like Malliotakis, Staten Island Borough President Vito Fossella and City Council Minority Leader Joe Borelli warning the governor that the political landscape has changed. Democrats asked her to take heed as well.
"We saw what just happened across the entire country. This is not what people want. This is the worst of politics," Staten Island and Brooklyn state Sen. Jessica Scarcella-Spanton said.
Hochul remains defiant in the face of warnings
Trying to make the best of the fact that congestion pricing is actually the law by trying to reduce the fee, the governor seemed unperturbed by the opposition.
"The loudest voices do not get me to change my opinion. I am firm in my belief that I am a fighter for New Yorkers," Hochul said. "I will endure the lawsuits, the ads, the criticism."
There were also warnings to the governor about the potential of paying a political price for passing congestion pricing -- that she should not bank on her success in passing Proposition 1 and flipping congressional seats blue to help her get reelected.
"I'll remind her that there's an election in two years and she's going to want those same people who weren't mad at her party in this election cycle to not be mad at her again. I could probably charge a consultant fee to her campaign for this advice," Borelli said.
Those threats are real. Even before Hochul started talking about reviving congestion pricing, Republicans were talking about trying to defeat her. They point out that Lee Zeldin came within six points of beating her last time and congestion pricing was one of his top attacks.