US judge says Trump effort to end New York City congestion pricing unlawful

WASHINGTON, March 3 (Reuters) - A U.S. judge on Tuesday said the U.S. Transportation Department effort to force an end to Manhattan's congestion pricing program was illegal.

The first-of-its-kind program in the United States -- in place since January 2025 -- is designed to reduce traffic and raise money to upgrade aging subway and bus systems. U.S. District Judge Lewis Liman, who in May issued a temporary restraining order preventing the federal government from withholding funding for New York projects over the program, issued a judgment Tuesday that the Trump administration's effort in February 2025 to terminate the program was unlawful.