President Trump will have to cough up $15 billion in federal cash to fix New York Cityās subway system if he wants to cut congestion pricing, Gov. Kathy Hochul insisted Thursday ā as their ongoing spat over the controversial Manhattan toll only continues to escalate.
The Democrat said she gave Trump the so-called ultimatum during their White House sit-down late last week, telling him he would need to dip into his coffers to offset the billions the state is estimated to lose if the congestion toll is nixed.
āYouāre gonna have to give me $15 billion to invest in a subway system then,ā Hochul told MSNBCās āMorning Joeā of her closed-door meeting with the president on Wednesday.
āIf I lose $15 billion that weāre able to leverage with the money brought in by congestion pricing, then I wonāt be able to fix the stations and the repairs and the new buses I need.ā
Her apparent demand is just the latest development in the showdown between the feds and state over the scheme to charge drivers a $9 fee to enter Manhattan below 60th Street.
The Trump administration has given the state a deadline of March 21 to ācease the collection of tollsā after US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced last week he was scrapping federal approval.
Hochul, for her part, has repeatedly vowed to resist the order.
āWe have to fight to keep it going, and thatās why Iām taking it to the courts and Iāll take it wherever I can,ā Hochul said during Thursdayās MSNBC appearance ā as she doubled down on remarks made a day earlier.
āTheyāre telling us we have to have an orderly cessation by the end of March. Iām saying weāre going to have to have an orderly resistance,ā she added.
āWe are not turning off the cameras.ā
Hochul said she tried to lean on the fact that Trump and her are both native New Yorkers in a bid to sway the president, who has decried the toll as a āterrible tax on working class.ā
āI said, āMr President, youāre a New Yorker. First of all, the most offensive thing I found in the letter from Sean Duffy was citing New Jersey saying they donāt like thisā,ā she said, referring to the Transportation Secretaryās order to cut the toll.
āāMr President, weāre both New Yorkers. Why do we care what New Jersey thinks?ā,ā she continued.
āItās a lovely place. But you know what? If you are taking the tunnels, itās 48% faster. So I want New Jersey residents to come here. Come be part of an important part of our economy. If youāre still drivingā¦ I just gave you the gift of time.
āYes, Iām sorry, thereās a cost to it ā but thatās what the concept of congestion pricing is all about.
I need to continue proving this to the president.ā
It comes after MTA honcho Janno LieberĀ also vowed to continue collecting the toll until the state is slapped with a court order.
āWe have an approval that is valid and in effect, and weāre not turning them off absent a court order,ā Lieber said during Wednesdayās MTA board meeting.
He argued the toll had already proven to be effective, saying there had beenĀ 2.8 million fewer cars in the congestion relief zone since the program kicked off last month.