Friday, February 21, 2020

Andrew Cuomo is mad that President Trump is ruining his congestion pricing plan

NY Post
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Thursday claimed that President Donald Trump is holding “hostage” plans to pay for key subway upgrades through congestion pricing as retaliation for New York’s refusal to grant federal immigration authorities access to driver’s license records.

“Will they hold congestion pricing hostage? Yes,” Cuomo told reporters at an unrelated press conference. “That’s how they do business.”

“It doesn’t happen without the federal government’s approval and right now, they’re not approving it,” he said.

The comments came in response to reports in the Wall Street Journal and Politico that the Trump administration has refused to say for months whether the tolling program can move forward without a full environmental review.

MTA officials have said congestion pricing will pay for $15 billion of the agency’s $51.5 billion plan for needed subway and commuter rail improvements.

State officials hoped to have the tolls in place by the start of 2021, but federal environmental reviews typically take two years or more to complete.

Well, maybe the state can come up with the funding if Cuomo would stop jerking off and finally legalize pot, that way taxes accrued from the sales can pay for improving the subway and highways instead of extracting it from car owners and occupational drivers wallets.


Anonymous said...

Cuomo is saying "hostage"as if the folks in ny are in favor of congestion pricing. Exactly where is all the money collected from bridges, tunnels, subways and bus,fare presently going? Year after year,increase after increase we're told it's being used for improving the system? Does any regular rider see an improvement. No. Salaries, padded overtime,pensions,benefits,etc. Etc. Is probably where the lion share is going. Just multiply a subway round trip x 5x20x12,and that one rider,times it by how many million folks use just the subwars,times the buses times it all. Where's the money going? Who's holding who hostage Gov cuomo?

Anonymous said...

Thank you president Trump for standing up against these idiot democrats who are only concerned about taxing and fining the ordinary people just trying to survive, and giving away everything to criminals and illegals.

Cav said...

Ready for another black pill folks? C'mon, this is Queenscrap, you guys live for it.

Of course Cuomo uses the word hostage and assumes nothing because as the as far as he's concerned, aside from himself, the only other people who count for anything are his fellow subordinate managerial ruling class and his vassal elites. And they want what their master and liege lord wants. The rest of us count for nothing as we are just livestock and chattel as far as our betters are concerned. Nobody cares about the thoughts and opinions of oxen and horses.

As far as the pot thing goes, it was unconstitutional to make it illegal in the first place but after prohibition was repealed, organized crime lost too many jobs so some new prohibition had to be put in the place of hooch. Gotta keep them jobs coming, champ.

But revenue from pot won't solve anything in a system where the political establishment spends $2 or more for every $1 collected. Government is the drug addict that always fiends for an ever bigger fix but never OD's.

Now here's a really radical idea: What if the MTA workforce and management were streamlined, eliminating union featherbedding and reducing management staff, salary and bonuses, benefits etc. Same with highways in stopping contractor padding of costs and staying within their bids and time to completion.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know, I'm a raving lunatic with these crazy ideas. We just need to find new ways to skin people for 'moar munny'! Make some evil motherfucker (other then ourselves, of course, we're the good guys) who ain't forking over enough already to pay his "fair share". Then throw lots and lots of ever more money at the problem and somehow, by some mysterious progressive liberal magic, that'll fix everything.

It can't possibly fail this time like it has for generations past! All of us won't eventually get stuck paying for it, only the bad rich people who have a job, live in a house, rent an apartment or drive a car will!

Donald Cavaioli

Anonymous said...

Ice Ice Baby !

"ICE's mission is to protect America from the cross-border crime and illegal immigration that threaten national security and public safety."

We have enough home grown "Crap" we don't need more ! Look at Bail reform !
Why do we need more dangerous people in our city ? The Press should ask right ?

For all the Dem Lovers "Between 2009 and 2016, the Barack Obama administration oversaw the deporting of a record 2.4 million immigrants, earning him the nickname "Deporter-In-Chief"

Angry Queens Taxpayer said...

Cuomo II and deBlasio are making citizens taxpayers hostage!
I'm with Trump 100% F_ck these Illegals and 3rd world garbage coming here to get over, beat us like a piñata, and turn out city into the same shitholes the created back home.
Hell most cant read or write in their native languages, nothing but lifetimes of welfare.

The fallout from these illegals is so bad New Yorkers may finally wake up and vote Cuomo II and deBlasio out of office.

Anonymous said...

Got the first four words right, anyway!

Anonymous said...

Donald Cavaioli very good statement ! Thanks...

Anonymous said...

B ack in the 1960s, economist John Kenneth Galbraith pronounced that there was "nothing wrong with New York that doubling the city budget wouldn't solve." The truth is public expenditures in NY need to be cut not increased. Cuomo's political policy is to force taxpayers out of NY and attract millions of new welfare dependent immigrants. Whatever Trump can do to cripple Cuomo and his congestion pricing initiative is welcome news.

Anonymous said...

If you are car commuting into Manhattan you are a selfish jerk.
If you occasionally drive into Manhattan, congestion pricing will make make traffic a little better at a small cost.

Anonymous said...

The only way you'll ever eliminate most of the congestion in Manhattan is to start making the MTA including the lirr more affordable again and deport the illegals. This city is too crowded let's just face it.

Rob in Manhattan said...

Wait eleven months. Rob in Manhattan

Anonymous said...

Correct, as the Dems know that the needs of the Party supersedes that of the State. Every Totalistic movement knows that the care and feeding of the Party apparatus is more important that the welfare of the public or citizens.

Every day I see Trump I see the local party hacks reflected in him. He learned the lessons from his teachers very well and now they are getting a dose of their own medicine.

Anonymous said...

"Every day I see Trump I see the local party hacks reflected in him"
Can you read his mind ? Give us an example or do you suffer from TDS ?

Anonymous said...

So the money is disappearing in the black hole called MTA and the powers to be want congestion pricing. Needless to say where the new money will go.
Banana Republic is the name of the state.

Anonymous said...

The bigger the budget the easier to facilitate corruption. NY government is one giant crime syndicate.

Anonymous said...

I think Cuomo is keep mismanaging the govt money. He doesnt knownhow to keep MTA in check, and now want to be a big marijuana dealer to get more taxes out of the citizens along with congestion pricing. How much more fee do we have to pay? Meanwhile, being poor gets everything for free

Anonymous said...


$15 isn't a small cost if you're young or working class.