New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, with her claims that she's reducing costs for her planned toll to allow commuters to enter parts of Manhattan, is "peeing on people's legs and telling them it's raining," Rep. Mike Lawler told Newsmax Saturday.
"Kathy Hochul is the most inept, feckless, incompetent governor in America," the New York Republican told Newsmax's "Saturday Report."
Hochul announced last week that she has reduced the toll she wants to collect in Manhattan from $15 to $9, so she's saving them $1,500 a year, Lawler said, but instead, "you are charging them $2,500 a year to commute to work."
President-elect Donald Trump spoke out last week against Hochul's toll, which she had pulled back until after the election.
The plan is being fast-tracked, as it is heading to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) for approval next week. It is expected to take effect before Trump takes office in hopes of blocking his promises to kill the toll.
The toll's proceeds, if approved, will fund the MTA. It manages public transportation in New York City, including the subways, city buses, and commuter rail lines.
Drivers will face tolls in the designated "Congestion Relief Zone," which includes Midtown and Lower Manhattan south of 60th Street.
"She's spending billions of dollars of taxpayer money to provide free stuff to illegal immigrants," Lawler said on Newsmax. "If that doesn't show you how absurd it is in New York today, I don't know what else will. Taxpayers who are working hard to provide for their families get charged a fee while illegal immigrants get handed free stuff. This is the problem in New York."
Lawler Saturday also discussed the outcome of the election, which marked an overwhelming win for Republicans.
"Last week Americans sent a very strong message that they were tired of the nonsense of the Biden-Harris administration and they wanted us to be able to deliver on the key issues, from the affordability crisis to the border crisis to crime and public safety in our major cities like New York and reestablish America's role in the world," said Lawler.
Trump also has a "very robust agenda" that focuses on the economy and securing the border, as well as bringing an end to wars around the world, he said.
"I'm excited to hit the ground running come January," he said. "You know, a lot of the legislation that we passed through the House during this Congress, [Senate Majority Leader] Chuck Schumer refused to move, will be at the foundation of the first 100 days."
But Hochul and other Democrat governors have already spoken out that they will push back against Trump's agenda, and Lawler said that it is "pathetic" that they "didn't hear the message that Americans sent last week."
But voters said they want their lawmakers to focus on issues that affect their families the most, including the cost of living and high grocery, energy, and housing prices, he added.
"Americans want us to be the leader of the free world," Lawler said. "They want us to get our fiscal house in order here back home and secure our borders."
And the resistance to that needs to "come to an end," he said.
"These folks need to learn that at the end of the day, the American people do want us working together where we can find agreement, compromise, where we can't find. Point out your differences. But the resistance 2.0 needs to stop," said Lawler.
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Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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