{"id":22371,"date":"2026-05-07T21:02:43","date_gmt":"2026-05-07T21:02:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/hochuls-mission-accomplished\/"},"modified":"2026-05-07T21:02:43","modified_gmt":"2026-05-07T21:02:43","slug":"hochuls-mission-accomplished","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/hochuls-mission-accomplished\/","title":{"rendered":"Hochul\u2019s Mission Accomplished"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Gov.<\/p>\n

DAYS THE BUDGET IS LATE: 37<\/span><\/p>\n

WHEELIN\u2019 AND DEALIN\u2019: <\/b>Gov. Kathy Hochul claimed this morning<\/a> she has a budget deal. Moments later, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie told reporters that, actually, nothing is final.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a Planet Albany pantomime that\u2019s played out over the last several years \u2014 a governor anxious to tout what’s generally been agreed to after a weeks-long impasse and an Assembly speaker who denies anything is truly finalized.<\/p>\n

Only this year is different.<\/p>\n

Heastie was noticeably more exasperated than in prior years when he told reporters this morning that the Legislature has yet to sign off on a budget agreement, contradicting the governor\u2019s victory lap.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no budget deal,\u201d the Bronx Democrat said. \u201cThere\u2019s no deal. I said to her last night I was comfortable with saying we\u2019re close. It\u2019s close.\u201d<\/p>\n

He pledged to no longer discuss policy-related matters with Democratic lawmakers until the budget\u2019s financial picture was in clear focus \u2014 suggesting he\u2019s at something of a breaking point with a governor he considers an ally.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve signed off on nothing major,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is what\u2019s wrong with this process.\u201d<\/p>\n

Earlier in the morning, Hochul stood in the Red Room praising the \u201cgeneral agreement\u201d (a chestnut that will join the pantheon of other state budget-deal upspeak like \u201ctentative framework\u201d).<\/p>\n

She ran through a list of what has been, well, generally agreed to: Protections for undocumented immigrants, changing the environmental review process in order to fast-track home building and a package of car insurance laws meant to reduce premium costs.<\/p>\n

Budget details tend to matter, not just to the 19 million New Yorkers who the document will impact, but to the army of advocates, lobbyists, staffers and lawmakers who have sweated the specifics for the last four months. And what\u2019s yet to be determined is consequential.<\/p>\n

The pied-\u00e0-terre tax on pricey second homes?\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are working to come up with the right way to calculate,\u201d Hochul said. \u201cWhat you have is a rather bizarre property tax system in New York City right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Changing the Tier 6 pension, a move that may cost $1.5 billion?<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll release those numbers as soon as it\u2019s absolutely done, but it won\u2019t be the scale that was out there in the news,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Why come out now with so much TBD?<\/b><\/p>\n

\u201cAll these financial details \u2014 as we\u2019ve done in the past \u2014 we talk about initially the policy agreements, and this is a policy agreement we\u2019ve accomplished, working tirelessly with the two leaders I have such respect for, Carl Heastie and Andrea Stewart-Cousins,\u201d Hochul said.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s true that this has been Hochul\u2019s strategy in the late stages of the budget \u2014 to fete the policy wins and leave the financial stuff written in pencil.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s also true that most voters aren\u2019t following the blow-by-blow of the arcane Albany process and care far more about the results. As she runs for reelection, Hochul can show voters victories on issues like a school cellphone ban.<\/p>\n

But while the governor has long placed a bet on voters not minding late budgets, Republicans are eager to trot out the \u201cD\u201d word \u2014 dysfunction \u2014 to describe the Albany fracas.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve gone so far away from having responsible leadership in this state and caring about what it means to have a budget on time,\u201d Republican Assembly Minority Leader Ed Ra said. \u201cIt\u2019s May 7 \u2014 the latest budget in my time in the Legislature \u2014 and she\u2019s out here announcing a deal that doesn\u2019t actually exist.\u201d \u2014 Nick Reisman<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

From the Capitol<\/h3>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

WONKS WEIGH IN: <\/b>As noted above, details on the state\u2019s spending plan remain scant. But some experts are seeing good news in what\u2019s out there.<\/p>\n

The fiscal hawks at the Citizens Budget Commission applauded policy measures like changes to the State Environmental Quality Review Act that were made to spur more home building, as well as the car insurance changes<\/p>\n

Still, the group has concerns even as the final numbers aren\u2019t yet clear. The $268 billion topline spending figure may increase once the dust settles.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat we do know is that the budget is bigger, but not likely better for fiscal stability compared to the governor\u2019s proposal,\u201d the group said. \u2014<\/i><\/b> Nick Reisman<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

FROM CITY HALL<\/h3>\n

\"Brooklyn<\/p>\n

ICE CLASH: <\/b>Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing mounting pressure from progressive leaders to enact stricter rules on how the NYPD can interact with federal immigration authorities \u2014 the latest sign of a broadening chasm between the mayor and his own supporters, our Chris Sommerfeldt reports today.<\/p>\n

Attention on the issue intensified Saturday when police officers blocked protesters advancing toward U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents who were transporting an immigrant detainee from a Brooklyn hospital. As video of the chaos<\/a> went viral, accusations that Mamdani\u2019s NYPD had coordinated with ICE in violation of local sanctuary laws quickly accumulated. The mayor has rejected that claim.<\/p>\n

In a letter to Mamdani, Rep. Nydia Vel\u00e1zquez, Brooklyn Borough President Antonio Reynoso and four other elected Democrats who endorsed the mayor\u2019s 2025 campaign wrote that they believe the NYPD \u201ccoordinated on the ground with ICE agents\u201d outside the hospital. And they implored him to immediately overhaul NYPD policies in response.<\/p>\n

\u201cOfficers arriving at a scene where federal agents are already operating cannot be left to improvise. They need a bright-line rule, communicated up and down the chain of command, that informs them when to disengage, when to step back, when to refuse a request for assistance, and how to document what they observed,\u201d they wrote in the Wednesday letter, which was obtained by Blue Light News. \u201cThe absence of such a standard, or the failure to enforce one, is how we ended up with NYPD officers visibly working alongside ICE outside a hospital.\u201d<\/p>\n

Specifically, they called on Mamdani to release new rules within 30 days that \u201cclearly outline\u201d how NYPD officers should interact with ICE agents in the field. The rules, they wrote, should dictate when \u201cdisengagement\u201d and \u201crefusal of assistance\u201d to ICE is appropriate so NYPD officers \u201cdo not aid, facilitate, or appear to facilitate civil immigration enforcement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Among the letter\u2019s other signatories was state Sen. Julia Salazar, one of the earliest supporters of Mamdani\u2019s 2025 mayoral campaign and a fellow democratic socialist.<\/p>\n

The fact that Mamdani\u2019s elected supporters opted to call him out in such a direct way is a strong indication elements of his base are growing frustrated with his handling of public safety issues \u2014 and his perceived drift to the political center since entering City Hall.<\/p>\n

Read more from Chris in Blue Light News Pro<\/i><\/b><\/a>.<\/p>\n

SECOND TRY: <\/b>Council Speaker Julie Menin is moving forward with a controversial bill that would boost pay for home health workers \u2014 legislation that\u2019s also tangled up with her run for the leadership post last year.<\/p>\n

As POLITICO previously reported<\/a>, Menin is working with Council Member Chris Marte on a measure that would outlaw 24-hour shifts for home health aides who are only paid for 13 hours. Their collaboration began to unfold after Marte dropped his own bid for the speakership last fall and threw his support behind Menin.<\/p>\n

The effort, however, has put the speaker in a political bind. A previous version of the bill drew opposition from major labor unions, the mayor and Hochul over concerns it would cost hundreds of millions of dollars, endanger patients and deprive workers of flexibility.<\/p>\n

Menin, in the hopes of blunting that opposition, prepped a new version for a vote last night. The modified bill exempts home health workers covered by a collective bargaining agreement, delays the implementation for a year and allows home health workers to opt into longer shifts through the fall of 2027.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs part of the ongoing legislative process, the Council has updated the bill after many conversations with stakeholders,\u201d Council spokesperson Benjamin Fang said in a statement. \u201cWe look forward to phasing out the 24-hour workday, an outdated practice that places workers under extreme physical and emotional strain.”<\/p>\n

The changes to the bill, however, do not seem to have appeased much of the opposition that killed it the first time around. A person with knowledge of negotiations said the modified version sparked backlash this morning. The legislation still sticks the state with the cost \u2014 the reason Hochul opposed it last time around. And some of the same critics are now reiterating their opposition, putting the bill on shaky ground should Menin attempt to bring it to a vote.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis bill still leaves people with disabilities without care, creates legal conflicts with State Medicaid rules, lacks the funding necessary to keep from endangering the lives of people with disabilities, and risks destabilizing access to critical care for thousands of New Yorkers,\u201d a Legal Aid Society spokesperson said in a statement. \u201cWe can and must pursue reforms that protect home care workers from exploitation without jeopardizing the health, independence, and dignity of the people who depend on these services every day.\u201d \u2014<\/i><\/b> Joe Anuta<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

IN OTHER NEWS<\/h3>\n

\u2014<\/b> QUOTE CONTROVERSY: <\/b>A recent TV ad from Anthony Constantino\u2019s congressional campaign used a fabricated quote attributed to the Times Union. The dubiously sourced claim? \u201cConstantino is now guaranteed to be a major entity in Congress.\u201d (Times Union<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u2014 STUDENT EXODUS: <\/b>Enrollment in New York City\u2019s public schools could plunge by as many as 153,000 students over the next decade. Falling fertility rates and more charter schools are driving the downturn. (The New York Times<\/a>)<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/b> ICE UPHEAVAL: <\/b>Nigerian immigrant sues ICE after his arrest sparked chaotic protests in Brooklyn. Chidozie Wilson Okeke’s lawsuit says he was \u201cunlawfully, brutally and violently detained.\u201d (Gothamist<\/a>)<\/p>\n

Missed this morning\u2019s New York Playbook? We forgive you. <\/b>Read it here<\/i><\/a>.<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

DAYS THE BUDGET IS LATE: 37 WHEELIN\u2019 AND DEALIN\u2019: Gov. Kathy Hochul claimed this morning she has a budget deal. Moments later, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie told reporters that, actually, nothing is final. It\u2019s a Planet Albany pantomime that\u2019s played out over the last several years \u2014 a governor anxious to tout what’s generally been […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":22372,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22371"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22371\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bluelightnews.com\/category\/politics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}