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NYC Mayor Adams avoids deep budget cuts in record-breaking $114.5B election year spending plan

Mayor Eric Adams announced a record $114.5 billion spending plan Thursday, achieving his first city budget without painful spending cuts in an election year.

The fiscal year 2026 spending plan is about $2 billion more than New York City's last enacted budget and includes investments in mental health, parks and quality of life programs.

“By setting ourselves up for success, we will not only ensure the continuity of critical programs, but also create strategic new investments in public safety, affordability, and quality of life that will benefit working-class New Yorkers. We were able to do that,” the mayor said.

Outlining his proposal, Adams argued that the administration's actions during the immigration crisis have saved $2.4 billion over last year.

“We have succeeded in reducing the number of asylum seekers in our care from a high of 69,000 in January 2024 to less than 50,000 today,” he said. .

But even as Mr. Adams touted fewer immigrants in the city's custody, his budget proposal includes provisions to address the surge in unhoused non-asylum seekers flooding into New York City from across the country. It included $554 million in funding for new homeless shelters.

This comes after Adams announced a $650 million, five-year plan to address the mental health of homeless New Yorkers, $136 million of which is included in the proposed fiscal year 2026 budget.

Other new funding includes $325 million for rental assistance vouchers, $63 million for working class tax breaks and $5.5 million for free swim lessons.

The number of migrants in the city's custody fell below 50,000 for the first time since 2022. Steven Yang
Officials claim the city has lost $6.9 billion due to the immigration crisis. Steven Yang of the New York Post

But the proposal also does not reinstate deep cuts to many popular city services, such as early childhood education, that Adams made in past budgets, and that Adams said he would not be able to help care for nearly 230,000 immigrants. Adams was blamed for the astronomical costs ($6.9 billion since 2022).

Adams and city officials were cautious about whether the proposed budget would restore past cuts.

When asked if funding for the city's parks has been fully restored, Budget Director Jack Zyha offered a more philosophical answer than one rooted in dollars and cents.

“From our perspective, yes,” he said.

“What does that mean?” a Post reporter shouted, but there was no response.

Jiha later told reporters that although specific programs in parks and other departments that were previously cut are not being funded, each agency's budget is close to or at previous levels. , said there are additional initiatives being pushed by the mayor.

Mr. Adams' budget experts expect tax revenue to come in at $80 billion, the same amount as the City Council expected.

City Council members, who are expected to finalize a budget with City Hall in the coming months, were quick to criticize Adams' plan for lacking funding for early childhood education, which could be cut as early as July. There is still a risk of being exposed.

“The critical educational programs that helped students that were funded in last year’s budget are not supported in the mayor’s new proposal,” said City Council President Adrian Adams, who is independent of the mayor.

Hitzoner and councilors will invest significant amounts in the fiscal year 2025 budget to continue essential education programs, staff and services that were at risk of ending due to the expiration of temporary federal stimulus and city funding. I did it.

The city provided long-term funding for many of these programs, while others lasted only one year. That means the funding will expire at the end of June unless included in the next budget.

City Finance Chairman Justin Brannan was surprised by the mayor's interim budget's silence on funding for parks, the city's college and certain mental health programs, and was especially perplexed about early childhood education.

“It's just crazy to see that this interim budget doesn't mention investing in 3K,” he said. “I don't know if you forgot to mention it in the paperwork, but why don't you invest in 3K?” This is a proven program. ”

The budget leaves about a $200 million shortfall in 3K and pre-K funding, which was paid for using coronavirus stimulus money that dried up last year. The $112 million needed to fund 3K next year has not yet been found.

“Just because it's not funded now doesn't mean it won't be funded in the future,” Jiha said.

Mayor Eric Adams announced a $114.5 billion spending plan Thursday. new york mayor's office

Adams' budget begins months of negotiations with the City Council ahead of a June 30 adoption deadline — just days after what is sure to be a contentious mayoral primary.

The mayor's approval ratings have plummeted even before the historic federal indictment, and many Democratic challengers hope to capitalize on this misfortune in the upcoming primaries.

One of his rivals, City Comptroller Brad Lander, accused Adams of relying on “gifts” in his budget to cover up unnecessary cuts in the past.

“Perhaps the biggest trick here is that $2.4 billion of the $2.7 billion the mayor claims is earmarked for savings will correct past budget overruns in asylum seeker costs that the Independent Budget Office has highlighted. That's just what we're doing,” he said in a statement.

“They are scapegoating immigrants for the city’s problems, needlessly threatening asylum seekers with budget overruns, cutting library and park budgets and claiming they are savings.”

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