The Trump administration on Thursday extended the deadline it set for New York to end congestion pricing, while simultaneously chastising Gov. Kathy Hochul for refusing to halt the tolling program.

In a social media post Thursday, U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said the agency would “provide New York with a 30-day extension as discussions continue.”

What You Need To Know

  • The Trump administration on Thursday extended the deadline it set for New York to end congestion pricing by 30 days

  • The U.S. Department of Transportation previously gave the MTA until Friday, March 21 to stop collecting tolls

  • Both Gov. Kathy Hochul and MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber have repeatedly vowed not to turn the tolling cameras off

The department previously gave the MTA until Friday, March 21 to stop collecting tolls.

“[Gov. Kathy Hochul] — the federal government and [President Donald Trump] are putting New York on notice. Your refusal to end cordon pricing and your open disrespect towards the federal government is unacceptable," Duffy said, referring to the type of congestion pricing plan the MTA rolled out in January.

A cordon pricing plan charges drivers a fee to enter a specific area — in the city's case, 60th Street and below in Manhattan. 

“Know that the billions of dollars the federal government sends to New York are not a blank check,” he added. “Continued noncompliance will not be taken lightly.”

Duffy’s post came a month after the Federal Highway Administration, a division of the U.S. Department of Transportation, pulled its approval for congestion pricing.

The MTA filed a lawsuit against the agency the same day, arguing the move violated “a host of federal statutes and regulations.”

Both Hochul and MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber have vowed not to turn the tolling cameras off, with Lieber this week saying the federal government would need an injunction to halt the program.

Hochul responded to Duffy’s social media post Thursday by quoting a post she made last month that said “The cameras are staying on.”

“Like I said…” she wrote in the new post.

In a statement, Avi Small, a spokesperson for the governor, said congestion pricing is "working." 

"Traffic is down, business is up and support for this first-in-the-nation initiative continues to grow,” Small said. “We’ve seen Secretary Duffy’s tweet, which doesn’t change what Governor Hochul has been saying all along: the cameras are staying on.”

The MTA’s chief of policy and external relations, John McCarthy, stood by the tolling program as well.  

“The status quo remains, which means everyone can continue to expect less traffic, faster commutes, and safer streets in Manhattan,” McCarthy said in his own statement. “As we’ve said, there was exhaustive study, projected benefits were right, and we can’t go back to gridlock.”