Gov. Kathy Hochul (D-NY) has adopted a more aggressive persona in response to the Trump administration’s move to end New York City’s congestion pricing, to mixed reception.
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy informed Hochul in a Wednesday letter that the federal government was terminating approval of the controversial policy. Hochul responded aggressively, holding a press conference in which she swore, invoked the American Revolution, and vowed to see Trump “in court.”
“Donald Trump isn’t a ‘king’ and we won’t let him use New Yorkers as roadkill on his revenge tour,” Hochul captioned a post of her press conference. “We’ll see him in court.”
“I’m here to say: New York hasn’t labored under a king in over 250 years,” she said Wednesday to cheers. “We sure as hell are not going to start now.”
Going beyond congestion pricing, Hochul said the issue was secondary and that Trump’s move represented “an attack on our sovereign identity, our independence from Washington.”
“We are not subservient to a king or anyone else out of Washington,” she said. “So this is the fight we’re in. We’re fighting for our residents, our commuters, our riders, our drivers, our emergency personnel.”
Echoing the argument that congestion pricing would reduce pollution, Hochul argued she was “fighting for” people with asthma and other illnesses.
“The streets of this city, where battles were fought — we stood up to a king,” she said. “And we won then. And in case you don’t know New Yorkers, when we’re in a fight, we do not back down.”
Hochul announced that the Metropolitan Transportation Authority has begun legal proceedings in the Southern District of New York to fight Trump’s decision.
Hochul’s statement on the matter was quoted by the X account of the state of New York, with the caption “beep beep babes we’re taking u to court,” along with an emoji of two hands making a heart.
The official Rapid Response page for the Trump administration responded with an image mocking the response — a screenshot from an episode of the cartoon Spongebob SquarePants in which a concerned crowd responds with silence as Squidward Tentacles performs at the talent show he organized.
Hochul’s aggressive handling of the issue is a notable departure from her previous cautious stance. As early as last year, she was publicly skeptical about congestion pricing, mainly over fears that it could cost Democrats electorally. She halted the plan in June 2024, only approving it after Election Day.
Congestion pricing, while praised by left-wing activists as a way to reduce pollution and encourage the usage of public transport, is massively unpopular with New Yorkers, according to polls shared with Politico last year.
Congestion pricing is even unpopular among many Democrats, with some celebrating Trump’s move to repeal it on Wednesday.
“I’m thrilled,” Democratic Assemblyman David Weprin told Politico Playbook. “This is something that the public didn’t want, and to try to pretend it’s about reducing congestion was wrong from the beginning.”
Hochul’s sudden change was partially prompted by Trump’s public handling of the issue. In a post on Truth Social, he proudly declared, “CONGESTION PRICING IS DEAD. Manhattan, and all of New York, is SAVED. LONG LIVE THE KING!”
At her press conference, Hochul displayed a doctored magazine cover posted by Trump, depicting himself as a king.
In a press release, Duffy explained the administration’s objection to congestion pricing.
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“New York State’s congestion pricing plan is a slap in the face to working-class Americans and small business owners,” Duffy said in a Wednesday press release. “Commuters using the highway system to enter New York City have already financed the construction and improvement of these highways through the payment of gas taxes and other taxes. But now the toll program leaves drivers without any free highway alternative, and instead, takes more money from working people to pay for a transit system and not highways.”
“It’s backward and unfair,” he added.
