Gottheimer lays out battle plans against congestion pricing as federal deadline pushed back

When President Donald Trump announced last month that he would bring an end to New York City’s congestion pricing program, he gave the city until March 21 to shut down the program, which tolls drivers who travel below 60th Street in Manhattan. That deadline has now been pushed back another 30 days, but one New Jersey congressman laid out a battle plan today in case New York officials don’t eventually comply.

Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-Tenafly) – a suburban congressman and candidate for governor who has been on the rampage against the “congestion tax” for years – demanded today that New York comply with Trump’s order, and said that he intends to use every tool at his disposal to fight back if the city does not.

“We are not going to sit around and let New York stick it to hardworking Jersey families,” Gottheimer said at an event today in Fort Lee – an event that occurred before Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy delayed the deadline. “We will keep bringing the Jersey fight until New York turns off the Congestion Tax cameras and ends their cash grab once and for all. So, I’m here to call on New York to comply with the federal directive and end the Congestion Tax by tomorrow’s deadline. They are not above the law.”

Gottheimer said that he’s writing to the New Jersey Department of Transportation to ask that they bill the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) for any congestion charges they incur against New Jersey drivers after the Transportation Department’s deadline. He also said he’ll ask E-ZPass to stop collecting the tolls at all once the deadline arrives.

“E-ZPass can’t just ignore a federal directive and help New York charge hardworking commuters this crushing Congestion Tax,” Gottheimer said. “E-ZPass knows that New York has a deadline on their Congestion Tax, so E-ZPass should stop collecting it. In short, I won’t give a pass to E-ZPass.”

And the congressman called on New Jersey Attorney General Matt Platkin to “pursue all legal options” to stop congestion pricing; that would presumably build on New Jersey’s existing lawsuit against the plan, which is still ongoing after a setback at the beginning of this year.

Gottheimer also listed the many bills he’s introduced to end congestion pricing and punish New York if it doesn’t: the Anti-Congestion Tax Act, which prohibits the MTA from receiving federal transportation grants until it stops charging those entering Manhattan; the Make Transportation Authorities Accountable and Transparent Act, which would require the MTA to undergo a federal audit; and the Motorist Tax Abuse Act, which shuts down the city’s congestion pricing plan entirely.

The fight over congestion pricing far predates Gottheimer’s campaign for governor, but his crusade clearly connects to a broader theme of his campaign: New Jerseyans pay too much in taxes, tolls, and fees, both to their own state and to other governing bodies like New York and the federal government. Most of Gottheimer’s fellow gubernatorial candidates are similarly anti-congestion pricing (with the one exception being Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop), but few have matched his fervor.

“I said we would fight this till the end, and it looks like New York will ultimately lose at the final buzzer,” Gottheimer said today. “The decision to keep the Congestion Tax cameras on is completely ludicrous. It’s literally highway robbery.”