Adams says prospect of NYC budget cuts only a ‘hypothetical’ as Hochul balks at more migrant funding

Mayor Adams connected Wednesday called the imaginable of caller metropolis fund cuts a “hypothetical” that helium doesn’t privation to entertain yet, arsenic his squad seeks to alteration Gov. Hochul’s caput implicit her announcement that she won’t springiness the metropolis much authorities migrant situation backing this year.

“We don’t privation to bash hypotheticals,” helium told reporters astatine City Hall erstwhile asked whether municipal fund cuts could beryllium connected the array this twelvemonth fixed Hochul’s stand.

The imaginable of caller metropolis work reductions emerged Tuesday, erstwhile Adams and his fund director, Jacques Jiha, revealed to authorities lawmakers during a proceeding successful Albany that the metropolis has a $1.1 cardinal spread successful its fiscal program for the 2026 fiscal year, which starts July 1.

Jiha told lawmakers the backing spread exists due to the fact that the 2026 fiscal twelvemonth metropolis spending connection Adams unveiled past period was crafted with the presumption that this year’s authorities fund would see astatine slightest $1 cardinal successful caller migrant situation backing for the city.

Hochul poured acold h2o connected that presumption connected Jan. 21, erstwhile she unveiled a authorities enforcement fund proposal that included nary caller migrant backing for the city. After Adams’ Tuesday grounds successful Albany, a Hochul spokesperson reaffirmed that stance, saying successful statement: “Our presumption has not changed.”

Gov. Kathy Hochul presents the Fiscal Year 2026 Executive Budget successful the Red Room astatine the State Capitol successful Albany connected January 21, 2025. (Mike Groll / Office of Governor Kathy Hochul)

After the mayor’s Wednesday remarks, Hochul’s spokesperson sent backmost the aforesaid connection successful effect to a petition for remark from the Daily News.

Jiha testified Tuesday that without caller authorities assistance, Adams’ medication indispensable “backfill” the $1.1 cardinal hole, either with spending reductions oregon gross increases, arsenic the metropolis fund indispensable by instrumentality beryllium balanced. Adams has said repeatedly he’s not considering immoderate metropolis taxation hikes.

New York City Budget Director Jacques Jiha, center, testifies earlier the New York State Senate Finance and New York State Assembly Ways and Means Committees successful Albany connected Tuesday, February 4, 2025. (Michael Appleton / Mayoral Photography Office)

Over the past 2 metropolis fund cycles, Adams enacted deep cuts to astir each agencies, resulting successful libraries ending cosmopolitan seven-day work and parks going without immoderate cleaning shifts, among assorted different public-facing work disruptions. Adams implemented the cuts to offset dense spending connected the migrant crisis.

But aft months of pushback from the City Council and different stakeholders, Adams ended up reversing astir of the cuts erstwhile it his administration’s taxation gross estimates ended up higher  than initially projected and his migrant situation spending lower.

As the anticipation of cuts looms implicit the metropolis authorities bureaucracy again, the mayor’s bureau and Council leaders are expected this period to statesman negotiations connected the 2026 fiscal twelvemonth metropolis budget, which they request to scope a woody connected by the extremity of June.

Mayor Eric Adams speaks during his play property availability successful the Blue Room astatine City Hall Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025 successful Manhattan, New York. (Barry Williams / New York Daily News)

Brooklyn Councilman Justin Brannan, a Democrat who chairs the Council’s Finance Committee and co-leads the fund negotiations, argued that conscionable similar successful the past fewer cycles, the metropolis has capable wealth to avert cuts.

“We don’t request to marque immoderate cuts. People person had it with this fake austerity circus. Enough!” helium told The News. “Our astir susceptible New Yorkers are already surviving successful fearfulness of Trump’s backing cuts. We request to instrumentality attraction of each different close present and we person the funds we request to bash that.”