NYC Mayor Adams presses Albany for more migrant funding, Gov. Hochul says no

Mayor Adams urged authorities lawmakers Tuesday to provide his medication with much migrant situation backing this year — but his plea didn’t determination the needle with Gov. Hochul, who has already declared she’s not looking to earmark much specified resources for New York City.

Adams delivered the petition for much migrant situation assistance earlier members of the New York State Senate Finance and New York State Assembly Ways and Means Committees, an yearly marathon proceeding wherever mayors from crossed the authorities trek to Albany to laic retired their fiscal needs earlier legislators and the politician statesman talks successful earnest connected the authorities fund owed this spring.

In prepared testimony, Adams said the metropolis has spent astir $6.9 billion connected caring for tens of thousands of mostly Latin American migrants since outpouring 2022 and that his squad anticipates that terms tag volition support swelling successful coming years.

Migrants enactment up connected E. 7th St. and Avenue B to get into a migrant re-ticketing halfway astatine St. Brigid School connected Friday, Jan. 5, 2024. (Barry Williams for New York Daily News)

Adams — who warned successful 2023 the outgo of the migrant situation “will destroy” New York — told lawmakers that without much authorities aid, his medication is near with a $1.1 cardinal metropolis fund spread that indispensable beryllium addressed with spending cuts oregon gross increases earlier the plan’s owed by the July 1 commencement of the 2026 fiscal year.

On Jan. 16, Adams unveiled a 2026 fiscal twelvemonth metropolis fund connection that was balanced.

But his fund director, Jacques Jiha, revealed to reporters aft Tuesday’s proceeding that Adams’ latest program was lone balanced due to the fact that his squad operated nether the presumption that the metropolis would get caller authorities migrant situation funding.

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

The $1.1 cardinal hole, Jiha said, comes from the information that Hochul didn’t marque bully connected that presumption erstwhile she released an enforcement authorities fund connection connected Jan. 21 that included no caller migrant situation aid for the city.

And Hochul’s squad didn’t budge connected that contented Tuesday.

“The FY26 Executive Budget does not see immoderate caller backing for the migrant crisis, and our presumption has not changed,” Avi Small, Hochul’s spokesman, said aft Adams’ testimony.

Adams, who has typically aligned with Hochul connected astir issues, told reporters extracurricular the proceeding country helium volition effort to alteration her mind.

“The authorities needs to assistance us,” helium said, adding helium would conscionable privately with Hochul aboriginal successful the day.

Mayor Adams, center, testifies earlier the New York State Senate Finance and New York State Assembly Ways and Means Committees successful Albany connected Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2025. (Michael Appleton / Mayoral Photography Office)

Also successful Tuesday’s hearing, Jiha revealed the metropolis hasn’t yet drawn down each of $2.4 cardinal successful migrant situation funding the authorities provided past year. Jiha said the metropolis has lone received $1 cardinal of past year’s allocation to date.

He suggested a bulk of the backing the metropolis was provided past twelvemonth remains untapped due to the fact that it’s unlocked connected a reimbursement basis, meaning Adams’ medication submits receipts for applicable expenses that the authorities past provides wealth against.

Jiha noted the metropolis presently has astir $750 cardinal successful outstanding claims. That leaves astir $650 cardinal from past twelvemonth that has yet to beryllium claimed by the city.

Adams’ spokespeople didn’t instrumentality requests for remark connected wherefore the metropolis hasn’t submitted claims for the outstanding cash.

Gov. Kathy Hochul. (Susan Watts / Office of Governor Kathy Hochul)

The contented of unlocking migrant situation assistance became a focal constituent successful March 2024 aft the Daily News first reported President Biden’s medication hadn’t released astir of the $156 cardinal successful national enactment the metropolis had been allocated due to the fact that Adams’ squad hadn’t submitted the close paperwork for it. Adams’ medication finally received the afloat allocation aft the Federal Emergency Management Agency dispatched an exertion enactment squad to the city.

Besides migrant situation funding, Adams testified Tuesday helium hopes Albany tin enactment connected 3 priorities helium has highlighted for months, including passing a bill that would destruct metropolis income taxation for low-income New Yorkers; passing a measure that would grow the quality to involuntarily hospitalize mentally sick individuals; and undo immoderate of the 2020 transgression justness laws that enactment much requirements connected the ways successful which prosecutors stock grounds with defendants successful transgression cases during the pre-trial find phase.

Those 3 priorities weren’t arsenic extensively discussed successful Tuesday’s hearing, and it’s unclear what benignant of appetite the Democrat-controlled Legislature — which crafted the find reforms — mightiness person to rotation them back.

Hochul has voiced enactment for rolling backmost the find reforms, and is besides backing the mayor’s pushes for scrapping metropolis income taxation for immoderate residents and expanding the involuntary committedness standards.