Mayor Eric Adams isnā€™t throwing the governor under the bus for her abrupt decision to stop congestion pricing from taking effect this month.

Itā€™s a decision that was made without a backup plan to replace the money that would have gone to the MTA.


What You Need To Know

  • Mayor Eric Adams defended Gov. Kathy Hochul and her decision to suspend congestion pricing

  • MTA officials say transportation projects will be delayed from the decision

  • Hochul has said she and state lawmakers will figure out how to replace funding for the MTA

ā€œShe made a decision,ā€ Adams said at his weekly question-and-answer conference Tuesday. ā€œWe need to support the governor.ā€

Adams said he had privately heard about Gov. Kathy Hochulā€™s reservations about congestion pricing before her announcement last week. 

ā€œThe governor spoke with me for about two weeks out, sharing her thoughts,ā€ he said. ā€œWhen she made the final determination, we spoke that evening and I said, ā€˜Governor, whatever I can do to assist, these are difficult times.ā€™ā€

Adamsā€™ remarks follow those from Hochul, who on Monday discussed the pushback against a $15 toll she was hearing from New Yorkers.

ā€œI donā€™t think New Yorkers, based on what Iā€™ve heard from people all over the city and the advocates and the people who are deeply concerned [about] what itā€™ll do to our economy, that a $15 toll at this time is too much,ā€ Hochul said Monday.

Hochul maintained that critical MTA projects, such as elevators at stations, will still get funding from somewhere else. However, the MTA chairman on Monday said he was scaling back plans without a source of revenue identified.

ā€œTo assume that the only funding source had to be congestion pricing shows a lack of imagination about understanding other opportunities to fund these projects,ā€ Hochul said. ā€œIā€™m committed to these projects.ā€

Throughout the planning process, Adams had consistently raised some concerns and questions about the effect of congestion pricing.

ā€œWe had to get it right. We could not balance it on the backs of working-class people,ā€ Adams said to reporters Tuesday.

This is in contrast to some officials in his administration whoā€™ve given full support to congestion pricing ā€” a difference of opinion that Adams said he welcomes.

ā€œI donā€™t want robots in my administration,ā€ he said. ā€œI want people to respectfully share their thoughts and their opinions.ā€

As long as they remember whoā€™s boss.

ā€œThe mayorā€™s name is Eric Adams,ā€ he said.