Judge blocks Trump from cutting NYC funds over congestion traffic pricing

A federal judge on Tuesday blocked the Trump administration from withholding funds to New York City over its opposition to a congestion traffic pricing program that Washington says is more about raising money than addressing congestion.

U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman issued the stay, Reuters reported. The program has seen the city charge most vehicles a $9 toll to enter the Big Apple during periods of high traffic.

Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy, however, has said the program appears "driven primarily by the need to raise revenue for the Metropolitan Transit Authority system as opposed to the need to reduce congestion."

Duffy had moved to terminate DOT approval for the program and previously said he would work with New York authorities to end it. The program itself drew mixed reactions from state governments, with NY Gov. Kathy Hochul supporting it and NJ Gov. Phil Murphy opposing it.