The Biden administration "rubber stamped" New York Gov. Kathy Hochul's congestion tolls for Manhattan without requiring an environmental impact statement required by federal law, and President Donald Trump was right to cancel her plans, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis said on Newsmax Sunday. 

"This was a tax on hardworking New Yorkers," the New York Republican said on Newsmax's "Sunday Report." "Our first responders, restaurant workers, hospital workers, people who have to go in for a health care appointment, all would be slammed with this toll to enter the city center and the city in which they live."

Trump is also right, she said, to reject funding "free luxury rooms for migrants" that Mayor Eric Adams has provided at a significant cost to taxpayers.

"It amounted to about $12 billion, and it was inappropriate for the mayor in the very beginning to insist that citizens of other countries were entitled to free housing in New York City when we have a homeless crisis like so many other cities," she said.
The city also provided housing for criminals, who even when they were arrested were returned to the streets and back to the "luxury hotel room that you and I, as taxpayers, are paying for," said Malliotakis. 

"Laken Riley's murderer was somebody who was being housed here in New York City, committed a crime, and was released back onto the street instead of being turned over to ICE," she added. "He then boarded a Biden administration-funded flight to Georgia, and he was free on the street to kill Laken Riley, a 100% preventable crime."

Malliotakis said it is likely that the tension will grow even more between Hochul and Trump, who is working with New York City Mayor Eric Adams to get his immigration policy to work in the city.

"The governor is always on the wrong side of almost every issue…and she is wrong on Eric Adams as well," said Malliotakis. "As much as I have criticized the mayor and I do not support his policies, [they] have been very misguided for our city. She is wrong to try to go in there and remove or remove him by force, as opposed to just allowing an election to take place this November. Let the people decide, not the governor who the next mayor should be."

Hochul had been expected to remove Adams from office in the wake of the charges that have been filed against him and other matters, but opted last week to let him remain in office.

"This governor has a history of ignoring the will of the people," said Malliotakis. "That's why I believe she will be defeated next year. President Trump right now has higher poll numbers than she does in her own state, and it is considered a blue state. It is a blue state. But yet President Trump is polling higher than both our mayor and our governor."

And Hochul's decision was "definitely political" on Adams, said Malliotakis. 

"We have an election just a few months from now, which I don't even believe that the mayor is going to end up running for reelection," she said. "Let the people choose who the next mayor is. This is just the governor trying to impose her will again on the people of New York."

GET TODAY NEWSMAX+:

NEWSMAX is the fastest-growing cable news channel in America with more than 30 million people watching!

Reuters Institute reports NEWSMAX is one of the top news brands in the U.S.

You need to watch NEWSMAX today.

Get it with great shows from Rob Schmitt, Greta Van Susteren, Greg Kelly, Carl Higbie, Rob Finnerty – and many more!

Find the NEWSMAX channel on your cable system – Go Here Now

BEST OFFER:

Sign up for NEWSMAX+ and get NEWSMAX, our streaming channel NEWSMAX2 and our military channel World at War.

Find hundreds of shows, movies and specials.

Even get Jon Voight’s special series and President Trump’s comedy programs and much more!

Watch NEWSMAX+ on your smartphone or home TV app.

Watch NEWSMAX anytime, anywhere!

Start your FREE trial now: NewsmaxPlus.com