President Donald Trump’s administration and New York transit officials reached a deal to allow the city’s congestion pricing program to continue until at least mid-summer and likely through the fall, according to new court filings. Both parties will present their arguments under a newly determined timeline expected to extend until at least October as part of a lawsuit filed by the MTA against the federal government. The Trump administration originally gave the state until March 21 to end the program but granted a 30-day extension one day before the deadline.
Both sides have agreed to a briefing schedule that extends into the fall. Manhattan federal Judge Lewis Liman won’t issue a ruling until all necessary documents are submitted, allowing the tolling program to continue charging drivers a $9 base fee to enter Manhattan below 60th Street for at least the next several months.
It is unclear whether the federal Department of Transportation (DOT) will attempt to pressure the courts to end the program sooner. U.S. DOT Secretary Sean Duffy has said he wants to end the program by April 20, according to the New York Times. The federal government does not appear to be seeking a pause on the toll while the legal case plays out, according to the court filing.
The MTA declined to comment on the filing, as reported by the Times. The document was filed on Friday in federal court as part of the MTA’s lawsuit against the DOT’s action to kill the tolling program.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and the MTA have been firm in their commitment to keeping the tolling cameras active. Launched in January, the program aims to reduce traffic in Manhattan’s most congested areas by charging drivers a fee.
The transit agency needs the profits to fund $15 billion in critical repairs and upgrades throughout NYC’s public transit system. These include modernizing train signals, enhancing station accessibility, purchasing new subway cars and buses, and major projects such as the Second Avenue Subway and Interborough Express, as 6sqft previously reported.
So far, the program has proven successful, generating nearly $52 million in revenue during February and putting it on track to meet its $500 million target by the end of the year.
Despite the program’s success, Trump and his administration have continued their attacks on the tolling system. The president had originally vowed to eliminate the program during his first week in office if re-elected.
The federal government has also taken aim at the city’s public transit system, with Duffy threatening to withhold federal funding from the MTA unless the agency submits a detailed plan to reduce crime, prevent violence against transit workers, reduce injuries and fatalities from suicide events and subway surfing, and combat fare evasion.
Last week, Duffy visited the subway system with Mayor Eric Adams and suggested Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) should review MTA spending, The City reported.
“I’m going to offer folks from DOGE to come down and take a look at what MTA is doing, how they’re spending money and can they be more efficient to taxpayers in the state of New York,” Duffy said on Friday.
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