New York City’s ambitious congestion pricing plan—charging drivers a toll to enter Manhattan below 60th Street—has become a lightning rod for political debate, legal battles, and commuter frustration just one month after its launch. With billions of dollars in public transit funding and the future of regional mobility at stake, the fight over the controversial policy has drawn in high-profile figures from both sides of the Hudson River, including President Donald Trump, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, and U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.
On January 5, 2025, New York City began charging drivers a $9 toll to enter its busiest core, a move intended to address the city’s legendary gridlock and generate up to one billion dollars a year for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA). According to amNewYork Metro, the money is earmarked for desperately needed upgrades: new subway cars, modern buses, station repairs—including accessibility improvements for people with disabilities—safety upgrades, and the installation of new train signals. As Queens State Senator John Liu put it, “This is not for fancy stuff. This is basic transit maintenance.”
The stakes are high for the MTA. The agency’s five-year capital plan calls for $65 billion in investments, but only $32 billion is currently funded. The expected annual revenue from congestion pricing is a crucial puzzle piece, and Liu warned that any federal intervention to halt the program could have disastrous consequences. “What that does is eliminate a billion dollars of annual revenue, which equates to $15 billion of the capital program, and so it’s not only potentially removing the $14 billion that the MTA is already expecting but removing another $15 billion that’s already baked into the current plan. So, this is really devastating,” Liu explained at a February 2 press conference, as reported by amNewYork Metro.
Senator Kirsten Gillibrand echoed these concerns, emphasizing the essential role mass transit plays for millions of New Yorkers. She pointed out that beyond routine upgrades, the city’s subway tunnels still need resiliency investments after the devastation of superstorm Sandy in 2012, which left many tunnels flooded and inoperable. “We desperately need these upgrades. And how many people rely on mass transit every day? Millions, millions, and if our transit goes down, millions can’t get to work,” Gillibrand said.
Despite the pressing need for infrastructure improvements, not everyone is on board with congestion pricing. According to amNewYork Metro, many drivers interviewed since the policy’s implementation have expressed frustration, seeing the toll as an unfair burden. John Saffir, a driver on the Upper East Side, didn’t mince words: “It really pisses me off. It’s a scam. I’m not against it for passenger vehicles during rush hour, you know, 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. or something like that. But this is such bullshi*t.”
While New York officials tout the plan’s potential to modernize transit and ease traffic, the backlash has not been limited to city residents. Across the river in New Jersey, the policy has ignited a political firestorm. Governor Phil Murphy, a Democrat, has become one of the most vocal opponents of the toll, arguing that it unfairly penalizes New Jersey commuters who rely on Manhattan for work or essential travel. The $9 fee, Murphy contends, amounts to a tax on non-residents, and he insists that the economic and environmental impacts on North Jersey have not been properly considered.
According to reporting from amNewYork Metro and statements from Murphy’s office, the governor’s opposition is rooted as much in process as in policy. Murphy has sharply criticized President Joe Biden’s administration, alleging that federal officials bypassed a required environmental impact review—a comprehensive process intended to assess how major policies affect not just the implementing area, but neighboring regions as well. “They did not do that for whatever reason,” Murphy said, describing the lapse as unacceptable and the reason for New Jersey’s ongoing lawsuit to halt the toll plan. He maintains that New Jersey would accept the results of a properly conducted review, but without it, the state had no choice but to fight the toll in court.
Murphy’s campaign against congestion pricing has led to some unlikely political alliances. Despite his frequent opposition to former President Donald Trump on other issues, Murphy praised Trump’s efforts to kill the congestion pricing plan, even writing directly to Trump on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2025, to request federal intervention. Trump’s team responded in dramatic fashion, announcing the decision to stop the plan in an all-caps tweet declaring congestion pricing “DEAD.” Yet, as Murphy himself acknowledged, the plan is very much alive in New York City, with tolls actively being collected and the legal battle unresolved.
“Despite political differences, Murphy said he welcomed Trump’s strategy even though they arrived at it through ‘a different lane,’” reported amNewYork Metro. Murphy has maintained that his objection is about due process, not political point-scoring. Still, the optics of a Democratic governor aligning, even temporarily, with Trump’s administration have not gone unnoticed, especially as Murphy’s stance puts him at odds with longtime political allies in New York.
The controversy has also exposed a broader regional rift. New York officials defend congestion pricing as a necessary step to fund transit upgrades and reduce traffic, but critics in New Jersey see it as a one-sided solution that benefits Manhattan at their expense. The $9 fee is expected to generate over $500 million annually for New York’s public transit, but the cost is borne in large part by commuters from neighboring states—a point of contention that has fueled fierce opposition on both sides of the Hudson.
Meanwhile, the MTA continues to rely on the anticipated revenue to support its ambitious modernization goals. As Senator Liu noted, the funds are intended for essential upgrades, not luxuries. “We’re still relying on copper wires,” he said, underscoring the urgency of replacing outdated infrastructure. Without the toll revenue, transit advocates warn that the city could face delays or cancellations of critical projects, jeopardizing the reliability and safety of the system for millions of daily riders.
For now, the future of congestion pricing—and the billions it promises—hangs in the balance. Legal challenges from New Jersey, ongoing political maneuvering, and widespread commuter dissatisfaction have made it one of the most contentious policy battles in recent memory. As the courts weigh the arguments and city officials press ahead with their plans, New Yorkers and their neighbors across the river are left to wonder: will congestion pricing deliver the promised benefits, or will it become another casualty of political gridlock?
Whatever the outcome, the debate has laid bare the complexities of regional cooperation, the challenges of modernizing aging infrastructure, and the deep divisions over who should pay for the future of New York’s transit system.