Federal judge delivers massive blow to Trump’s claim he 'saved' New York

New York state’s controversial congestion pricing program, designed to ease traffic flow in Manhattan but bitterly opposed by the Trump administration as an economic drag, has been upheld by a federal judge.

The 149-page decision by Judge Lewis J. Liman of Federal District Court was reported by The New York Times. However, other legal challenges are pending.

New York’s battle to initiate the added pricing dates to 2017, but only came to fruition in January 2025. It adds a $9 daily peak-period toll for passenger vehicles entering Manhattan below 60th Street, with rates up to $21.60 for large trucks. Overnight traffic charges are as low as $2.25.

The Trump administration, among others, has claimed the added pricing damages the regional economy, and began battling it for more than a year. The New York congestion program is the first in the nation.

Judge Liman previously granted a temporary protection from federal threats to withhold funding for various transit projects in New York if congestion pricing was not canceled. The threats had some effect, delaying its imposition.

President Donald Trump mused that his administration had stopped congestion pricing earlier this year, declaring that New York had been “saved.” He celebrated by sharing an image of himself with a crown and wrote, “LONG LIVE THE KING.”

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which operates the congestion pricing program, filed a lawsuit in federal court in Manhattan to block the White House’s interference. It claimed President Joe Biden’s administration had vetted and approved the program..