Trump Backs Scrapping Congestion Pricing, Lifting SALT Cap

President-elect Donald Trump has expressed support for scrapping congestion pricing and lifting the cap on state and local tax (SALT) deductions during a meeting with New York‘s House Republican delegation at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida. The meeting, held on Saturday night, focused on key issues affecting New Yorkers, including the controversial congestion pricing plan and the SALT deduction cap.

“He wants to kill it,” said Staten Island Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), referring to the congestion pricing plan. Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) added, “He did agree it’s got to go. So we’re going to work through how his administration can do so.” The congestion pricing plan, set to begin on Jan. 3, would charge drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street, a move that has faced significant opposition from New York Republicans.

Trump also voiced support for lifting the $10,000 cap on SALT deductions, a policy that has been a point of contention for high-tax states like New York. “He’s fully on board with lifting the cap on SALT,” Lawler said. Malliotakis noted that Trump understands the financial burden on New Yorkers, stating, “He said that he understands the plight of New Yorkers who are being abused by our mayor and our governor who treat them like ATMs, and he wants to provide SALT relief.”

The New York House Republicans are pushing to include the SALT cap lift in an upcoming legislative package that would also renew many of Trump’s 2017 tax cuts. While they don’t expect to fully eliminate the cap, they aim to raise it from its current limit. The meeting comes as the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) prepares to implement congestion pricing, despite ongoing legal challenges. A federal judge recently denied a request to halt the toll, but Republicans hope the Federal Highway Administration under Trump could block the program.