Since Gov. Hochul commenced the congestion pricing pause on June 5, we, as representatives of New York City Transit and LIRR riders, as well as MTA Board members, have been alarmed by the quick and serious repercussions to the MTA’s budget that followed. Hochul’s flippant disregard for years of planning and outreach by the MTA and the law itself prompted us to sign an amicus brief in support of multiple lawsuits against her illegal pause. We look forward to our arguments being made in court tomorrow. As the MTA has sought to pick up the pieces of the $16.5 billion dollar hole Hochul’s pause created, the governor insists she was driven by vague concerns about “affordability.” Fifteen dollars is an unbearable expense for drivers, but just fine for railroad riders who commute into the Central Business District on the LIRR and Metro-North? Get serious. More than 85% of people commuting into the CBD use transit to get there, but they are the ones who are being harmed by the governor’s pause and delays to improvements on the systems they use every day. Hochul’s pause is also a slap in the face to the tens of thousands of New Yorkers who spoke 2-1 in favor of congestion pricing during the final round of the years-long public input process. Not to mention the thousands of professional staff at the MTA who worked diligently for half a decade to implement the law. If the benefits of congestion pricing and the $15 billion in revenue it was set to bring in were not clear before Hochul’s pause, they certainly are now. During this UN week, we’re seeing traffic slow to almost a stop in Midtown, further exacerbating delays to emergency vehicles and bus riders, not to mention degrading our air quality. Not happening are accessibility upgrades at 23 subway and two LIRR stations, new electric buses and subway cars, hundreds of millions of dollars in climate mitigations in environmental justice communities, upgrades to Depression-era signals and equipment on the B, D, F, and M trains that would improve train frequency and reliability. Also in jeopardy are the 100,000-plus private-sector jobs that are counting on the revenue congestion pricing will generate to build the infrastructure that moves the region that moves the world. Hochul’s insistence that her pause won’t affect contract awards is an outright lie. There are two steadfast rules when it comes to building infrastructure: you can’t award contracts with money you don’t have, and nothing gets cheaper the longer you wait. This is one of 15 myths the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA dispelled in their joint report with the New York Building Congress. To make matters worse, the MTA also laid out its needs for the next five years — $68.4 billion in total — 90% of which is simply going to keeping the system running. Only about half of the funding has been identified, leaving Hochul squarely on the hook for finding a huge sum of money for the next plan this coming year. Digging out of the hole she dug for herself on congestion pricing while also funding the MTA’s next Capital Plan is nearly impossible. The governor seems to have no credible plan. The alternative funding sources proposed thus far have all failed to meet the mark. The illegal pause is also hurting the MTA’s operating budget, which is used to actually run the system. Without the investment congestion pricing was set to make possible, the MTA will be unable to make improvements that riders deserve, like an all-electric bus fleet, even as buses idle in gridlocked Manhattan traffic. In congestion pricing, we have the opportunity to both protect this critical infrastructure from the adverse effects of climate change and lower our own emissions by encouraging more people to ride our transit system. We just need Hochul to follow the law and unpause the pause. With more than 22 million residents and 10.7 million jobs, the Manhattan CBD and surrounding 28 counties comprise the most populous and economically significant metropolitan region in the United States. The MTA network is an asset valued at $1.5 trillion, a vitally important system other cities envy. Despite this, the governor seems content to let it wither on the vine. We support the lawsuits because the MTA system, and the millions of riders who count on it, are worth fighting for. Albert is the longest-serving MTA Board member and chair of the New York City Transit Riders Council. Bringmann is an MTA Board member, chair of the Permanent Citizens Advisory Committee to the MTA, and chair of the LIRR Commuter Council.