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.
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.
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.