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Bruce Blakeman calls on Hochul to suspend congestion pricing toll during LIRR strike — and backs new legislation

Nypost · · 214 words · By Brandon Cruz; Carl Campanile
open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/17/us-news/bruce-blakeman-calls-on-hochul-to-suspend-…

fact_checkFact-Check Results

8 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

info Single Source 4
verified Verified 2
verified Verified By Reference 1
check_circle Corroborated 1
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“Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman called for suspending the $9 congestion pricing toll for motorists crossing into core Manhattan during the Long Island Rail Road strike.”
SINGLE SOURCE
While web results confirm there was an LIRR strike and that Bruce Blakeman wants to repeal congestion pricing generally, there is no specific evidence in the provided results confirming he called for a suspension specifically during the LIRR strike.
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web search NEUTRAL — Long Island Rail Road workers picketed outside Atlantic terminal Saturday on Day 1 of the LIRR strike. Union leaders announced the strike just after midnight after they failed to come to an agreement …
https://hudsonvalley.news12.com/lirr-service-suspended-on-da…
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web search NEUTRAL — The Long Island Rail Road went silent at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. Five unions representing 3,500 LIRR workers — including locomotive engineers, signalmen, electricians, machinists, and clerical employees …
https://www.ibtimes.com/lirr-strike-begins-americas-busiest-…
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web search NEUTRAL — Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is making New York City’s congestion pricing plan a top campaign issue, telling suburban voters from Long Island to the Hudson Valley that he would move to scrap…
https://www.longisland.com/articles/02-13-26/blakeman-vows-d…
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“He also supports legislation introduced by Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Garden City) that would suspend the congestion toll during any future strike by workers with NYC Transit, Metro-North and LIRR.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence for this claim is completely irrelevant, discussing Bruce Springsteen and Bruce Lee instead of Bruce Blakeman or Assemblyman Ed Ra's legislation.
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web search NEUTRAL — Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most…
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Springsteen
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web search NEUTRAL — Bruce Lee[b] (born Lee Jun-fan; [c] November 27, 1940 – July 20, 1973) was a Hong Kong and American martial artist, actor, and filmmaker.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Lee
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web search NEUTRAL — May 5, 2026 · Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band launch their Land Of Hope And Dreams American Tour across the country this spring, kicking off at Minneapolis’ Target Center on March 31. The 20-d…
https://brucespringsteen.net/
verified
“Congestion pricing was established in state law by former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the state legislature.”
VERIFIED BY REFERENCE
Wikipedia and web search results confirm that Governor Andrew Cuomo reintroduced the proposal in 2017 and it was agreed upon as part of the state's fiscal year 2020 budget.
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web search NEUTRAL — Governor Andrew Cuomo reintroduced a congestion pricing proposal for New York City in 2017 in response to the New York City Subway's state of emergency, a proposal that Mayor Bill de Blasio opposed.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Congestion_pricing
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web search NEUTRAL — New York City will be the first city in the US to charge motorists extra to enter the busiest areas, after the state agreed to a congestion pricing plan as part of its fiscal year 2020 budget hours be…
https://qz.com/1584287/new-yorks-congestion-pricing-will-mak…
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web search NEUTRAL — Here’s Why. Congestion pricing was the latest ambitious proposal that couldn’t navigate New York’s rocky political terrain. It’s a tall order to achieve substantial change in the city.
https://www.nytimes.com/2024/06/14/nyregion/congestion-prici…
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“Gov. Kathy Hochul initially paused and then revised the congestion toll in 2024 and the MTA approved and implemented it last year.”
SINGLE SOURCE
The provided evidence consists of general definitions of governors and a notice about flags in Ohio, providing no information regarding Kathy Hochul's actions on congestion pricing in 2024.
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web search NEUTRAL — The United States has 50 states and 5 territories that each elect a governor to serve as chief executive of the state or territorial government. [1] .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_United_States_…
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web search NEUTRAL — A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor
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web search NEUTRAL — In honoring Peace Officer Memorial Day and Police Week, Governor Mike DeWine has ordered the flags of the United States and the state of Ohio to be flown at half-staff upon all public buildings and gr…
https://governor.ohio.gov/wps/portal/gov/governor/home
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“Under state law, New York City transit workers are barred from striking.”
CORROBORATED
Multiple sources mention 'anti-strike laws' and the 'illegal' nature of transit strikes in NYC, corroborating that such strikes are barred by law.
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web search NEUTRAL — The New York City Subway is a rapid transit system in New York City, serving four of the city's five boroughs: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx.The official New York City Subway map from Jun…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City_Subway
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web search NEUTRAL — New York State’s 154 billionaires have more than $1 trillion in wealth.Everything workers have ever won has come in defiance of anti-strike laws, court injunctions, the police and other instruments us…
https://www.wsws.io/en/articles/2026/05/13/hrfg-m13.html
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web search NEUTRAL — The leader of the New York City bus and subway workers' union announced a citywide strike early Tuesday, four hours after rejecting a contract offer management described as "fair."
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/nyc-transit-workers-on-strike-1…
verified
“Transport Workers Union could face stiff fines and loss of automatic dues collection from members’ paychecks if it engages in an illegal strike, which is what happened during the 2-day illegal strike in 2005.”
VERIFIED
Evidence explicitly states that after a 60-hour strike in 2005, a state judge penalized the Transport Workers Union by removing the automatic collection of dues from paychecks.
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web search NEUTRAL — After a 60-hour strike that halted subway and bus service in 2005, a state judge penalized the Transport Workers Union by taking away its most powerful money-raising tool: automatic collection of dues…
https://www.empirecenter.org/publications/m-t-a-asks-for-res…
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web search NEUTRAL — Roger Toussaint, the president of Transport Workers Union Local 100, made the pledge in an affidavit seeking to restore the union’s right to automatically collect dues from members’ paychecks.
https://steverombom.net/Judge_Theodore_Jones/
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web search NEUTRAL — Before and during the strike, workers on the Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North commuter rail lines had offered to shut down parts or all of their lines, if New York City transit workers agreed to …
https://www.leftvoice.org/the-days-the-city-stood-still-less…
verified
“But the LIRR unions are covered by federal law and can strike without penalty.”
VERIFIED
Evidence explicitly states that LIRR workers are governed by the federal Railway Labor Act, which allows them to strike without penalty, unlike Transit Authority unions.
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web search NEUTRAL — Unlike Transit Authority unions and many uniformed services, LIRR workers are governed by the federal Railway Labor Act, which means they can strike without penalty. Only Congress can order them back …
https://www.newsday.com/opinion/unions-shouldn-t-derail-comm…
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web search NEUTRAL — A strike on the Long Island Rail Road, America’s busiest passenger rail service, has been delayed for months, but the railroad could still be at risk of a major work stoppage as early as January. Unio…
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/11/nyregion/long-island-rail…
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web search NEUTRAL — Hochul must shame LIRR unions —by revealing their outrageous strike demands.By contrast, Long Island Rail Road went through bankruptcy beginning in 1949, got significant assistance from taxpayers and …
https://nypost.com/2025/09/14/opinion/shame-lirr-unions-and-…
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“The new bill from Assemblyman Ra bill would also require the MTA — the parent agency overseeing the LIRR, NYC Transit and Metro-North — to return any charges collected from monthly ticket holders for business days when service is interrupted by a strike.”
SINGLE SOURCE
One source mentions Assemblyman Ed Ra and a bill (A06088) aimed at holding the MTA accountable, but the specific detail regarding refunds for monthly ticket holders during strikes is not explicitly detailed in the provided snippets.
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web search NEUTRAL — View LIRR schedules and Metro-North schedules and fares and download MTA railroad, bus, and subway timetables.Contact the MTA. Media Relations. Procurement and solicitations.
https://www.mta.info/schedules
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web search NEUTRAL — Assemblyman Ari Brown, (R,Cedarhurst) joined Assemblyman Ed Ra and other Republican colleagues today at the State Capitol for a press conference regarding A06088, a bill aimed at holding the Metropoli…
https://5townscentral.com/2025/03/04/assemblyman-ari-brown-b…
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web search NEUTRAL — Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) pictured with scholarship recipient Marco Valle and New Hyde Park Memorial High School Principal Ms. Rosemary DeGennaro.
https://www.longisland.com/news/06-25-25/assemblyman-ed-ra-p…
info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.