Above: Gottheimer and D’Esposito announcing new legislation to stop MTA CEO Janno Lieber from using federal funds for a taxpayer-funded vehicle.

WASHINGTON, DC — Today, Thursday, May 23, 2024, U.S. Representatives Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) and Anthony D’Esposito (NY-4) introduced new legislation to stop MTA CEO Janno Lieber’s continued Congestion Tax hypocrisy. While hardworking commuters, nurses, teachers, and law enforcement will be whacked with the $15-day, $4,000-year Congestion Tax, Janno Lieber has been seen using a taxpayer-funded car to travel instead of his own mass transit system. Janno’s car would be exempted from his own Congestion Tax. Gottheimer and D’Esposito’s new bipartisan legislation will bar Janno Lieber from using federal funds for a taxpayer-funded vehicle while he continues to advance the Congestion Tax cash grab. 

Video of the conference can be found here.

Gottheimer has repeatedly called on the MTA to be more transparent regarding its Congestion Tax plan. In February, he submitted a freedom of information law (FOIL) request, after his office released a Congressional Report that projected the MTA would raise three times as much from the Congestion Tax as legally required. The MTA did not respond to this request for more than 60 business days and ignored more than 30 emails from Gottheimer’s team. 

In April, Gottheimer traveled to the MTA headquarters, but MTA CEO Janno Lieber was unavailable to meet him. The MTA later responded to the FOIL request with a non-response: a collection of already publicly-available information.

Gottheimer and D’Esposito recently received even more evidence of the MTA’s mismanagement and hypocrisy, when they learned that MTA CEO Janno Lieber has been seen using a taxpayer-funded car for transportation, instead of public transit. Because of its public funding, this vehicle will be exempt from the Congestion Tax. This bill calls out Lieber’s Congestion Tax hypocrisy and prevents him from using federal funds for such a vehicle.

A copy of the bill that Representatives Gottheimer and D’Esposito are introducing can be found HERE.

“MTA CEO Janno Lieber seems to think he’s above it all: above reproach, above oversight, and frankly, above the law,” said Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5). “Well, Congressman D’Esposito and I are putting a stop to the MTA’s ‘for thee and not for me’ refrain once and for all. We’re introducing new bipartisan legislation today that will prohibit the MTA from using federal funds to chauffeur around the MTA’s CEO in his taxpayer-funded car. Let’s stop the Congestion Tax double standard.”

During their call, Representatives Gottheimer and D’Esposito also highlighted a bipartisan letter they sent last month with other members of the New York and New Jersey Congressional Delegation, calling on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee to conduct greater oversight of the MTA and its leadership. The letter called for Lieber to testify before Congress. The Congressmen continue to call for greater transparency and accountability from the MTA, including answers to basic questions about Janno Lieber’s transportation expenditures.

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