Murphy crossed party lines to back Trump’s move as he fights Biden’s shortcut on toll plan.
Trenton, NJ – New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy praised former President Donald Trump’s efforts to kill New York City’s controversial congestion pricing plan, while sharply criticizing President Joe Biden’s administration for what he called a failure to follow federal environmental procedures.
Murphy revealed that his administration is still locked in a legal battle to halt the $9 toll for drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street, arguing that the Biden administration skipped a key environmental review process, but praising the Trump administration for being more proactive in the fight.
He wrote Trump directly on his Inauguration Day, requesting intervention to stop the pricing plan from moving forward. Murphy said Trump’s team shut it down in dramatic fashion, announcing the decision in an all-caps tweet calling congestion pricing “DEAD.”
The plan however, is not dead. Congestion pricing is alive and well in New York City.
Despite political differences, Murphy said he welcomed Trump’s strategy even though they arrived at it through “a different lane.”
Murphy emphasized that his objection to congestion pricing was based on procedure, not politics. He accused the Biden administration of bypassing the required environmental impact statement—a lengthy federal process that examines how a policy affects not just the area implementing it, but neighboring regions like North Jersey.
“They did not do that for whatever reason,” Murphy said, describing the lapse as unacceptable and the reason for New Jersey’s lawsuit.
He maintained that New Jersey would accept the results of a properly conducted review, but argued the Biden administration’s failure to follow protocol left the state no choice but to fight the toll in court. Murphy described the potential fallout for New Jersey residents and commuters as substantial, saying the economic and environmental effects on his state were never fully assessed.
The $9 congestion pricing fee, designed to reduce traffic and generate over $500 million annually for New York’s public transit upgrades, has sparked fierce opposition in New Jersey, with critics calling it a tax on non-residents who rely on Manhattan for work or essential travel.
Although New York officials have touted the plan as necessary to modernize the MTA and ease gridlock, Murphy’s stance has placed him at odds with longtime political allies—and aligned him, however temporarily, with Trump’s administration.
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Key Points
- Governor Murphy praised Trump’s termination of NYC congestion pricing while criticizing Biden’s process
- Murphy accused the Biden administration of skipping a required environmental review
- New Jersey continues to fight the toll plan in court, citing its impact on North Jersey