New York Democrat Gov. Kathy Hochul reportedly has persuaded officials to delay a plan to toll drivers entering New York City’s central business district just weeks before it’s scheduled to go into effect.

WCBS’ Steve Scott took to X on Wednesday to say, “Multiple reports say the MTA [Metropolitan Transportation Authority] is indefinitely pausing the planned June 30th rollout of congestion pricing in Manhattan. The decision reportedly goes all the way up to Governor Kathy Hochul.”

Hochul’s hesitation to implement the plan stems from her concern it could hurt Democrats in competitive House races during November’s general election, Politico reported Tuesday.

The first-in-the-nation congestion pricing plan has been slated to start June 30. Drivers using E-Z Pass will pay as much as $15 to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street, The New York Times reported Tuesday.

The congestion plan, meant to reduce traffic, improve air quality and raise money for the beleaguered public transit system, is expected to produce $1 billion annually in revenue for the MTA, which needs to maintain and rebuild the region’s subways, buses, and two of its commuter rail systems.

To replace that lost expected revenue, Hochul is considering proposing a tax on New York City businesses, the Times reported.

It’s unclear whether a proposal to delay congestion pricing would gain the needed approval of the New York State Legislature, which passed the plan years ago.

Former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee whose Trump Tower is located within the congestion pricing zone, has said he would “terminate” it his first week back in office if he wins reelection in November.

One source told Politico that Hochul is responding to worries raised by staffers to House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., whose party is trying to win back control of the chamber.

Victories in New York congressional races during the 2022 midterm elections helped Republicans win control of the House.

The Times reported Hochul has concerns that the congestion plan might discourage commuters from returning to Manhattan’s central business district, which has yet to fully recover from the pandemic.

The congestion plan was passed into law as part of a negotiated state budget between then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo, D-N.Y., and legislative leaders in 2019.

Roughly 63% of New York voters opposed the plan, according to an April Siena College poll, Politico reported.

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