WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), announced on July 21 her language to prevent the implementation of New York City’s Congestion Pricing Program was included in the Transportation, Housing and Urban Development (THUD) Appropriations bill that passed out of House Appropriations committee last week.
Specifically, Malliotakis’ provision would prohibit federal funding from being used for activities related to the implementation of Priced Zones (Cordon Pricing) under the Value Pricing Pilot Program or New York City’s Central Business District Tolling Program, otherwise known as Congestion Pricing, which would effectively halt the program in its tracks. This would prohibit FHWA from beginning the process of negotiating a Value Pricing Pilot Program tolling agreement with the NY project sponsors.
“New York Governor Kathy Hochul and MTA Chairman Janno Lieber lied to the residents of New York City when they said there would be ‘no MTA fare hikes and service cuts in 2023 and 2024’ thanks to an influx of federal funding,” Malliotakis said.”Not only have they raised tolls and fares, but they’re continuing to jam this congestion tax through as quickly as possible without conducting the proper studies to see how it would impact residents, commuters and small businesses. I’m pleased to see my language included in the overall THUD Appropriations bill, and if successful, it would effectively kill congestion pricing by stripping away the federal government’s ability to help the city and state get it over the finish line. As this provision works through the legislative process, our bipartisan Anti-Congestion Tax Caucus, alongside New Jersey Governor Murphy, is investigating other legal avenues to prevent this scheme from ever coming to fruition.”
Malliotakis is a founding member of the bipartisan Anti-Congestion Tax Caucus, that includes Reps. Josh Gottheimer (NJ-05), Mike Lawler (NY-17), and Tom Kean Jr. (NJ-07). The caucus has introduced the Make Transportation Authorities Accountable and Transparent Act which would require the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) to conduct a full audit of the MTA to see how it spent billions in federal assistance, along with Economic Impact of Tolling Act that would require a thorough economic impact analysis to provide more transparency to the public and policymakers about the potential consequences congestion pricing would have on workers, residents, and businesses.
