The Thorn

NYS Budget News

Gotham Gazette outlines how the State budget will impact New York City specifically.
Governor Cuomo’s proposed cuts to Medicaid, which would have hit hospitals most affected by Covid-19, were eliminated in the final budget.
The State budget includes an increase of $1.3 billion from last year’s funding for New York City schools, as well as a commitment to fully fund Foundation Aid, a formula meant to provide funds to high-needs schools but which has been neglected for years.
Although federal and state funding kept NYCHA in the black for 2020 and 2021, the housing program projects a $300 million shortfall for 2022.
The budget included a $2.1 billion fund for mostly undocumented workers that have been excluded from federal COVID relief. However, there are gaps in the program.
The budget passed a $2.4 billion rent relief program that - if implemented correctly - will help millions of people pay back rent. But it failed to provide relief for New Yorkers without housing.

New York City schools are relaxing slightly the rules that would trigger automatic closures under Covid protocols.
President Biden announced that the waters off of Long Island and New Jersey would be a designated wind energy area, which could enable the production of 9 gigawatts of wind turbines, or 30% of the city’s energy.
At an event celebrating the reopening of Coney Island, Lt. Governor Kathy Hochul dodged questions about the investigations into Governor Cuomo’s misconduct.

The Working Families Party is nearing a decision on its mayoral endorsement. It has already said it will only consider candidates receiving public financing.
The United Federation of Teachers hosted a forum with four mayoral candidates–Scott Stringer, Maya Wiley, Andrew Yang, and Eric Adams–ahead of the union’s endorsement decision.
Shekar Krishnan, a candidate for Council District 25 (Jackson Heights) who has received a number of progressive and labor endorsements, was accused of union busting at a legal services organization in 2018.
Stephen Ross, the billionaire developer behind Hudson Yards is funding a super PAC aimed at backing a moderate mayoral candidate. The PAC has not endorsed a specific one yet.
Maya Wiley is distancing herself from the ethics scandals that surrounded Mayor De Blasio while she served as his general counsel, insisting that her advice was not followed.
Conservative, anti-Palestine City Council member Kalman Yeger (D-Borough Park) is running unopposed in all three primaries–Democratic, Republican, and Conservative–in his district, all but guaranteeing that he will be the only name on the ballot this year.
Andrew Yang held a press conference with the founder of Turbovax, which according to NY1 was emblematic of his policy platform’s reliance on the private sector to provide public services.
Republican congressman Lee Zeldin from Long Island announced he’s joining the 2022 race for governor of New York.