Trump and Hochul Have ‘Productive Conversation’ in White House Meeting

The two discussed the redevelopment of Penn Station, congestion pricing, tariffs, and energy policy, according to the governor’s office.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul speaks during a press conference regarding congestion pricing in New York City on Nov. 14, 2024. Angela Weiss/AFP via Getty Images

President Donald Trump and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday held a productive discussion in the Oval Office on various topics, according to Hochul’s office.

“Governor Hochul and President Trump covered a broad range of topics in today’s meeting, including the redevelopment of Penn Station, congestion pricing, tariffs, and energy policy,” Jerrel Harvey, the governor’s spokesperson, told NTD, sister media of The Epoch Times, in an emailed statement. “While no formal agreements or decisions were reached, it was a productive conversation, and we look forward to continuing the dialogue in the coming weeks.”

Just the day before, Trump publicly urged the governor to revive a natural gas pipeline through upstate New York. The president prior to their meeting accused the state of delaying the project for too long.

“If New York, Connecticut, and New England had their Pipelines, savings from Heating alone would go down $2,300 per family — When you add Air Conditioning, and other things, you would have a $5,000 savings per family,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post. “All we need is a simple approval from New York. Every other State in New England, plus Connecticut, wants this, in order to help the Environment, and save BIG money. We only need the final approval from New York State, whose people all want it. Otherwise, we’ll have to use other authorities. New York State has held up this project for many years, but we won’t let that happen any longer. We will use federal approval!”

The pipeline was intended to provide gas from Pennsylvania’s drilling fields to New York. The company investing in the proposed project, Williams Cos., called off the project in 2020, citing opposition from state politicians and environmentalists.

“Williams ... has halted investment in the proposed Constitution project,” the company said in a statement in 2020. “The underlying risk adjusted return for this greenfield pipeline project has diminished in such a way that further development is no longer supported.”

Hochul’s visit also comes as the Trump administration has ordered her state to end the controversial new toll for drivers who enter the busiest parts of Manhattan, a program known as congestion pricing. The Federal Highway Administration had set a March 21 deadline for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority to stop collecting the $9 toll on drivers entering Manhattan below 60th Street.

Hochul has defended the program and is hoping that a lawsuit against the Department of Transportation will salvage the program.

The last time Hochul visited Trump at the White House was last month when they also talked about some of New York’s key priorities.

From NTD News