New York Gov. Kathy Hochul has vowed to fight the Trump administration’s order yanking federal approval for New York City’s congestion pricing program weeks after the tolls were introduced on Jan. 5.

President Donald Trump — who considered the program bad for business — posted on X, the social media platform, “Congestion Pricing is dead. Manhattan and all of New York is saved. Long live the King.”

“New York hasn’t labored under a king in more than 250 years, and we’re sure as hell not going to start now,” Hochul said at a news conference Wednesday.

New York and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority have sued to vacate the federal order, while in New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy welcomed the president’s attack on the toll program. On Inauguration Day, Murphy wrote to Trump asking him to rescind congestion pricing.

Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, who called congestion pricing a “slap in the face” to commuters, mentioned Murphy twice in his memo to Hochul ordering the program to be phased out, noting it provides no toll-free option for many drivers and the toll rate primarily raises revenue to fund mass transit, not reduce traffic congestion. “In light of the President’s concerns … as well as the concerns expressed by New Jersey Gov. Murphy … I have concluded that the scope of this pilot project as approved exceeds the authority authorized by Congress,” Duffy wrote.

Hochul’s reaction? “They actually cited the will of New Jersey — New Jersey didn’t want this — ignoring the will of the people who live here, their elected leaders. And all of a sudden, the Trump administration is citing, ‘Well, New Jersey wasn’t happy’,” she said acidly.

U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-5th), who is running for governor and who has long battled congestion pricing, showed little empathy for New York. “If they want to keep these cameras on while they’re fighting this after yesterday’s decision, they’re going to have to reimburse, in my opinion, every single person they’re charging, at least from Jersey, because people should get their money back,” Gottheimer said.

New York’s lawsuit cites statistics showing the toll is cutting traffic. It challenges Duffy’s order, arguing “The Trump Administration’s action here is just the latest example of its disregard for the rule of law … Defendants are not authorized by any law — statutory or Constitutional — to unilaterally terminate the Value Pilot Pricing Program Agreement.”

Michael Gerrard, a law professor at Columbia University, said that’s a strong argument.

“The agreement that the federal government signed with the MTA for congestion pricing, gave only the MTA the power to stop it. It didn’t say that the federal government could stop it, and I don’t think they can,” Gerrard said.

Congestion pricing advocates also criticized the federal government’s sudden flip-flop on a program it gave the green light to just last November.