Overview
- Governor Kathy Hochul, who is set to outline a budget framework Thursday morning, is not expected to send New York City much new cash, though delaying the class-size mandate could free about $600 million and adjusting pension payments could unlock up to $1.5 billion.
- Her spending plan, first proposed in January at roughly $260 billion, is more than a month late after the April 1 deadline, with talks centered on a pied-à-terre tax on costly second homes, possible climate law rollbacks, and a push to lower car insurance costs.
- Hochul’s standing strengthened after Tuesday’s Siena poll showed her leading Republican Bruce Blakeman 49% to 33% even as her favorability fell to 41% and job approval slipped to 48%, with 64% of voters saying they don’t know enough about Blakeman.
- Cost pressures are shaping the talks as 67% of voters say New York is going the wrong way on prices and 57% say the same on affordable housing, and a 36% plurality say the state should spend more than Hochul’s plan.
- The same survey found President Donald Trump’s approval in New York at 34% with support among Republicans dropping to 71%, while Blakeman sought resources with a White House meeting on Tuesday to raise his low statewide profile.