Former Gov. George Pataki praised President Trump for shifting to kill congestion pricing — and mentioned New York wants its personal cost-slashing model of DOGE.
Pataki, a Republican, mentioned Gov. Kathy Hochul “needed the cash” from the $9 toll to enter Manhattan to fund the cash-strapped Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
“New York State will get sufficient cash — an excessive amount of cash — from the taxpayers,” Pataki mentioned on WABC 770s AM’s “The Cats Roundtable.”
“They don’t want extra,” Pataki mentioned. “New York is just too costly. The federal government prices an excessive amount of. We may use somewhat DOGE [Department of Government Efficiency] in Albany and Metropolis Corridor as a substitute of elevating taxes.”
He famous that the MTA is asking for billions extra in capital funding from Albany — properly past the revenues generated from the congestion toll.
“It by no means ends,” Pataki mentioned of the proposed $65 billion, five-year plan. “It’s unsustainable.”
The MTA has sued to dam the Trump administration from rescinding the toll and congestion pricing stays in impact in the intervening time.
Though New York’s final Republican governor had reward for Trump, he mentioned he was baffled by the commander-in-chief’s dealing with of the negotiations to finish Russia’s brutal warfare in opposition to Ukraine.
Pataki mentioned Trump gave the impression to be tougher on Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky than on Russia and its chief Vladimir Putin, who invaded Ukraine three years in the past, on Feb. 24, 2022.
Pataki has visited Ukraine quite a few instances as a part of reduction efforts via his charitable group.
“President Trump‘s positioning on Ukraine to this point has been utterly incorrect,” Pataki informed host John Catsimatidis.
He likened it to how former President Joe Biden dealt with the Hamas-Israel battle, placing an excessive amount of stress on Israel as a substitute of Hamas.
“Sadly, I feel, Trump is making the identical mistake that Biden made with Israel within the case of Ukraine,” the previous three-term governor mentioned. “As a substitute of placing all of the stress on Putin — who’s clearly the unhealthy man, a horrible human being — he’s placing the stress on Ukraine.
“I don’t assume anybody desires the warfare to finish earlier than the Ukrainian individuals,” he went on. “However the way in which to do it isn’t to stress Ukraine. It’s to stress Putin and Russia, as a result of they’re those which can be incorrect. They’re those who’ve acted like barbarians … They usually’re those who ought to be beneath the stress to achieve an affordable peace.”
Pataki known as Putin a “killer who’s anti-American, anti-Western, anti-civilization.”
The Put up reached out to the White Home for remark.
Washington and Kyiv engaged in a tense trade of barbs over the previous week.
Trump, who’s attempting to carry the combating to a detailed on phrases that Kyiv at one level mentioned had been too favorable to Moscow, lashed out at Zelensky, writing on Fact Social on Feb. 19 that the Ukrainian chief was a “dictator with out elections.”
“Within the meantime, we’re efficiently negotiating an finish to the Struggle with Russia, one thing all admit solely ‘TRUMP,’ and the Trump Administration, can do,” he wrote in a prolonged Fact Social rant, referencing Ukraine suspending elections final yr as a result of warfare — as dictated in Ukrainian legislation.
“Biden by no means tried, Europe has did not carry Peace, and Zelenskyy most likely desires to maintain the ‘gravy practice’ going. I really like Ukraine, however Zelenskyy has accomplished a horrible job, his Nation is shattered, and MILLIONS have unnecessarily died – And so it continues.”
The Put up reported Friday that tensions cooled between Washington and Kiev.
The Trump administration is alleged to be near a take care of Ukraine for entry to tons of of billions of {dollars} price of mineral rights in an enormous step towards ending Russia’s grinding warfare on the European nation.
