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Hochul demands $15 billion from Trump to fix subways if NYC congestion pricing is axed
“We have to fight to keep it going, and that’s why I’m taking it to the courts, and I’ll take it wherever I can,” Kathy Hochul declared
Kathy Hochul won't back down amid Donald Trump's plans to ax the congestion pricing plan in New York City. During Wednesday's appearance on Morning Joe, the NY governor opened up on her closed-door conversation with the president at the White House last week. The 66-year-old claimed she demanded $15 billion to offset the loss the state would incur if the program is rescinded.
NY Gov. Kathy Hochul demands $15 billion from Trump amid congestion pricing drama
“You’re gonna have to give me $15 billion to invest in a subway system, then,” Hochul said of her meeting with Trump. She went on to say that if the congestion pricing is nixed, the state would lose billions. “If I lose $15 billion that we’re able to leverage with the money brought in by congestion pricing, then I won’t be able to fix the stations and the repairs and the new buses I need.”
Hochul's remark comes after Federal Highway Administration executive director Gloria Shepherd wrote in a letter to city, state and MTA officials that New York “must cease the collection of tolls” by March 21. It followed US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy's letter to Hochul, in which he announced the federal government’s move to halt the program.
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However, the Democrat doubled down on her promise to fight the ban. “We have to fight to keep it going, and that’s why I’m taking it to the courts, and I’ll take it wherever I can,” Hochul told MSNBC. “They’re telling us we have to have an orderly cessation by the end of March. I’m saying we’re going to have to have an orderly resistance.”
