MTA press conference on congestion pricing starts soon NBC New York [Video]

In his public comments since New York Gov. Kathy Hochul blindsided him by abruptly ordering a pause on congestion pricing, MTA Chairman and CEO Janno Lieber asked and attempted to answer the $15 billion question:

“So what now?”

The MTA held a press conference Monday afternoon, days after lawmakers ended the legislative session without plugging the funding gap caused by Hochul’s decision to put a halt on congestion pricing, just over three weeks before it was supposed to start.

Lieber detailed how the transit agency will have to “reprioritize, re-sequence and shrink” their financial plans and the their Capital Program. An MTA official said last week that improvement projects like electric buses, accessible subway stations and new signals would likely be put on hold.

“Mass transit is too important to the city and to this 23 million-person region to go backward, and we’re not gonna let that happen,” said Lieber. “We need the funding in …