With the Long Island Rail Road strike crippling commutes for hundreds of thousands, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is seizing the moment to hammer Gov. Kathy Hochul on congestion pricing and position himself for a gubernatorial run.
The Nassau County executive called on Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul to end congestion pricing as more than 3,000 Long Island Rail Road union workers shut down the daily commute for 300,000 Long Islanders — turning it into their own private Strait of Hormuz.
“We love our workers here in Nassau County, and we treat them right,” said Bruce Blakeman, who leads the Long Island county and is the presumptive Republican nominee to challenge Hochul in November.
Blakeman said it was never fair for commuters into New York City to pay for roads already paid for, but even more so because it would shift so much of the burden to his constituents.
“We shouldn’t have to finance our state government with a toll on a road that we already paid for with our tax dollars,” he said.
The LIRR strike effectively ended service, except for some shuttle buses at John F. Kennedy International Airport and roughly six other stations.
The strike is unfortunate for commuters, but a boon for Blakeman, who suddenly has something to talk about that reporters want to hear.
The county executive, endorsed by President Donald J. Trump for the governor’s office, also demanded the governor negotiate to end the strike, but he should be very careful about what he wishes for.
Trump Administration Congestion Tax Repeal Stymied
The congestion tax and the Trump administration both came online in January 2025, and immediately Team Trump was against it. In February, the administration rescinded the previous administration’s approval for the program.
In his April 25, 2025, letter to Hochul, Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy told Hochul he and the president would not rest until the congestion tax was gone.
“President Trump and I will not sit back while Governor Hochul engages in class warfare and prices working-class Americans out of accessing New York City,” Duffy said.
“The federal government sends billions to New York — but we won’t foot the bill if Governor Hochul continues to implement an illegal toll to backfill the budget of New York’s failing transit system. We are giving New York one last chance to turn back or prove their actions are not illegal.”
Despite the administration’s efforts, the congestion tax is still actively reaping millions daily from commuters because of that interminable Trump enemy: federal judges.
In May 2025, Judge Lewis J. Liman granted a preliminary green light for the toll to continue, and then in his March 3 ruling, he locked it down.
Liman said Duffy was arbitrary and capricious, with some abuse of discretion thrown in, making it the judge’s call that the 2024 election had no effect, so that what President Joseph R. Biden Jr. decreed was forever the law.
The Trump administration is still in the midst of appealing Liman, but the strongest appeal is always to the voters.
If Blakeman is lucky, the LIRR strike will continue until November, and then he can end the congestion toll once and for all as governor.