Editorial | Keep congestion pricing running, unless and until New Yorkers say otherwise | amNewYork

"Liman's ruling was centered on his interpretation of the law that Trump's Transportation Department (DOT), led by former reality TV star Sean Duffy, acted unlawfully in ordering the MTA and New York state last year to kill the program that the Biden administration previously approved."

"Congestion pricing was not authorized in a vacuum by a cadre of elected officials meeting in secret. The plan was approved through legislation passed by the state Legislature and signed into law in 2018 by then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo all of whom were elected by the people of this state."

"New York, and only New York, has the authority to keep or kill congestion pricing. These are our streets, after all. The day may come when a majority of New Yorkers urge their elected officials to put the program to rest, but when it does, it should be the people of New York speaking for itself, not federal bureaucrats in Washington, DC."

Federal Judge Lewis Liman ruled against the Trump administration's attempt to eliminate Manhattan's congestion pricing program, determining that the Transportation Department acted unlawfully in ordering the MTA and New York state to kill the initiative. The congestion pricing program was legitimately authorized through state legislation passed in 2018 and signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo, then underwent proper federal review and received presidential approval under the Biden administration. Only New York has authority over its own streets and the program's continuation. The Trump DOT, led by Sean Duffy, has vowed to appeal the ruling, but such efforts represent federal overreach. Congestion pricing is achieving its primary objectives, including reduced traffic in the Central Business Zone.

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