Congress blocks NYC's congestion pricing—protecting drivers, not transit riders
H.R. 352 — Motorist Tax Abuse Act · Filed by Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) · 2 cosponsors · Introduced Jan 13, 2025 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill blocks the federal government from allowing New York City to implement congestion pricing (a toll system charging drivers to enter Manhattan's central business district). The bill amends federal transportation law to prohibit the Secretary of Transportation from establishing or maintaining such a pricing system under the existing value pricing pilot program.
Why we flagged it
The bill is a straightforward prohibition on one specific tolling program in one city, introduced by a representative from that district (Nicole Malliotakis, NY-11). It is not disguised or complex, but it is narrowly tailored to block a policy affecting only New York City.
What the text implies
- Blocks a revenue source that was intended to fund transit improvements and reduce congestion, shifting the burden of congestion and air pollution onto residents who do not drive into the CBD.
- Prevents New York City from implementing a policy that has been piloted successfully in other cities (London, Singapore, Stockholm) and was approved by the city's own government.
- May set a precedent for federal intervention in local transportation policy, allowing Congress to override city-level decisions on infrastructure funding.
Who it affects
Congestion pricing would reduce traffic and air pollution while generating revenue for transit—benefits to most NYC residents and commuters. However, the bill protects drivers from tolls, benefiting those who drive into the CBD while shifting costs to transit riders and the broader public who would lose air-quality and transit-funding gains. The net effect depends on whether one values driver convenience over environmental and transit benefits.
Who stands to gain
- drivers commuting into Manhattan's central business district
- parking operators and related automotive services
Named in the bill
New York City, Central Business District, Secretary of Transportation, Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991, value pricing pilot program, Nicole Malliotakis
Where it stands
2 cosponsors: 1 Democrats, 1 Republicans.
- Jan 13, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jan 13, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
Money around this bill
1 lobbying clients named this bill on 1 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $720,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 164 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.
More lobbying clients named this bill than 0% of bills with at least one filing.
Nicole Malliotakis, the sponsor, reported $1,140,250 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.
- American Trucking Associations — $720,000 on 1 filing
Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI scored this bill from its title only — the full text has not been read; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
Money — Senate Lobbying Disclosure Act filings whose specific-issue field names this bill for quarters ending Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. A filing's amount is reported whole beside the median number of bills a filing names; it is never divided across them. PAC receipts are FEC-reported contributions to the sponsor's candidate committee in the 2026 cycle.
As of — lobbying records through Jul 20, 2026 · page rendered 2026-10-20.
“Congress blocks NYC's congestion pricing—protecting drivers, not transit riders” QuorumCivic. https://share.quorumcivic.app/bill/119/hr352 Report an error
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