Transportation Secretary Threatens to Cut Funds Over New York City Congestion Tolls

State officials, Sean Duffy wrote in a letter to the governor, have ‘publicly declared that New York will continue to collect tolls in open defiance.’

A sign posted near the exit of the Lincoln Tunnel in New York City on Feb. 19, 2025. Seth Wenig/AP Photo

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy has directed New York officials to stop collecting congestion tolls in Manhattan, warning that failure to do so would cost the city major federal funding.

In an April 21 letter, Duffy accused the state of defying federal law by continuing to toll federally funded highways after the Trump administration rescinded the program’s approval.