With one day left to go on the Trump administration’s March 21 deadline for New York to end its congestion pricing toll, Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy posted a “30-day extension” notice to social media Thursday afternoon.
While Duffy restated the administration’s demand for Gov. Hochul to end the tolling program, which charges most motorists $9 a day to drive south of 60th St. in Manhattan, he also extended the window 30 days as talks are ongoing.
“The federal government and @POTUS are putting New York on notice,” Duffy wrote in an X post addressed to Gov. Hochul. “Your refusal to end cordon pricing and your open disrespect toward the federal government is unacceptable,” he continued.
“We will provide New York with a 30-day extension as discussions continue,” Duffy wrote. “Know that the billions of dollars the federal government sends to New York are not a blank check,” he threatened. “Continued noncompliance will not be taken lightly.”
The delay comes as New York elected officials and transit honchos reaffirmed their intention to ignore the federal deadline absent a court order.
“Let me be clear, these attacks on congestion pricing are an attack on New York’s sovereignty,” Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-Manhattan) said Thursday — prior to Duffy’s post — during a small rally at the Brooklyn Bridge. “New York has the right to govern itself, to implement policies that improve the lives of its residents, and to make decisions that benefit our infrastructure and our economy.”
A spokesman for Hochul — who last month likened Trump’s order to that of a monarch — reiterated the governor’s commitment to the toll.
“We’ve seen Secretary Duffy’s tweet, which doesn’t change what Gov. Hochul has been saying all along: The cameras are staying on,” Hochul’s press secretary Avi Small said in a statement.
“Congestion pricing is working,” he said. “Traffic is down, business is up and support for this first-in-the-nation initiative continues to grow.”
The toll is tasked with reducing vehicular traffic while raising money for MTA capital projects — was approved last year and went into effect in early January.
In mid-February, Duffy claimed to have retroactively revoked a key federal authorization for the toll that had been given by his predecessor — a move that prompted trump to declare himself “king” on social media.
The MTA immediately filed suit in New York federal court, claiming Duffy’s orders were unconstitutional. The Trump administration has yet to file any response in that case.
John McCarthy, MTA’s head of external relations, said Thursday that his agency will continue implementing the toll as planned.
“The status quo remains, which means everyone can continue to expect less traffic, faster commutes and safer streets in Manhattan,” he said in a statement. “As we’ve said, there was exhaustive study, projected benefits were right, and we can’t go back to gridlock.”
Duffy’s post on X is not the first time the feds have attempted to use future transit funding as a cudgel.
In a letter sent to MTA Chairman Janno Lieber earlier this week, Duffy demanded a litany of stats — much of it already publicly available — as to crime trends and funding in the subway system.
“I appreciate your prompt attention to this matter to avoid further consequences, up to and including redirecting or withholding funding,” Duffy wrote, giving the transit agency a March 31 deadline to provide the information.
MTA officials said earlier this week that they would be happy to help the feds find the crime data.
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