ICED Out

Good morning from Hearing Room B, Legislative Office Building, Albany, New York, where tomorrow, the 2026 Joint Budget Legislative Hearings will continue with Transportation. You can watch the discussion live on the Senate and Assembly websites. You can find the full hearing schedule here. 

The 2026 New York State Democratic Convention gets underway in Syracuse on Friday, and all eyes are on Governor Kathy Hochul as she looks to choose her running mate. While the office of Lieutenant Governor is largely ceremonial, the decision is important for Hochul as she looks to add political, geographical, and cultural balance to the ticket ahead of a competitive reelection campaign. Whoever she chooses will be Hochul’s third Lt. Governor in five years: Brian Benjamin resigned in 2022 after a federal indictment that was later dropped, before the current Lt. Governor, Antonio Delgado, publicly split with Hochul and is challenging her in the Democratic primary. In a statement, a spokesperson for the Hochul campaign offered that she is “committed to selecting a strong partner and proven leader to serve as her running mate—a champion for New York families who shares her commitment to lowering costs and standing up to the MAGA movement.” 

There are plenty of state Democrats who fit that description, but only a handful who offer Hochul the political equilibrium she is seeking. The short list includes New York Secretary of State and former state Assemblymember Walter Mosley, who confirmed he has “been asked to move forward with the final vetting process,” and DASNY CEO (and former Secretary of State and former state Assemblymember) Robert Rodriguez. Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez has been mentioned and would help solidify support among the Latino community, especially in his home borough of Brooklyn, and bolster credibility among law enforcement. Up and coming Assemblymember Brian Cunningham, also from Brooklyn, has been under consideration and indicated he would be open to serving as LG, telling reporters, “If the governor asked, obviously, I think an opportunity to serve the state is something I would always say yes to. She is going to continue to double down and make sure all New Yorkers are safe, whether it’s helping the mayor of New York City deliver on affordability and child care.” One candidate who has reportedly already turned down the job is Queens Borough President Donovan Richards, who was just reelected to another five-year term in 2025. Stay tuned to see who makes the final cut!  

Back in Albany, the legislative session is in full swing with lawmakers crafting their response to Hochul’s Executive Budget proposal. (In case you missed it, you can find our full overview of the Executive Budget here.) Hochul is keen to avoid any major fights with the Legislature that could negatively impact her reelection campaign this year, but nonetheless, there are some tensions. Hochul's budget included legislation to protect places of worship, schools, and healthcare facilities from immigration raids, as well as a measure to withhold public safety grants from municipalities that work with ICE, but stopped short of endorsing the New York for All Act. The high-profile legislation would expand certain immigration protections and prevent state and local law enforcement from collaborating with federal immigration authorities without a judicial warrant. Hochul’s omission of the New York for All Act seemingly puts her on a collision course with Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, who came out in support of the legislation for the first time last month, and again last week reiterated her desire to pass the legislation “sooner rather than later.” Of course, Stewart-Cousins will need her Assembly counterpart, Speaker Carl Heastie, on board as well, though he has yet to give the measure his full-throated endorsement, saying, “Those are conversations we will have with our members.”

Hochul also doubled down on the issue on Friday, proposing a ban on formal cooperation agreements between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities, also known as 287(g) agreements. Hochul’s proposal, known as the “Local Cops, Local Crimes Act,” would impact eleven municipalities across New York that currently have such agreements in place, including GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Blakeman’s Nassau County. In her press conference, Hochul said, "(ICE) has over $85 billion at their disposal … so they have what they need. So don’t buy the argument we have to be there because ICE needs help … We have other responsibilities for our local law enforcement.” The issue is already spilling over onto the campaign trail, with Blakeman responding in a statement, “By banning local law enforcement partnerships with ICE, Hochul is allowing dangerous criminals to return to our neighborhoods. That ends when I’m Governor.” 

 For a complete legislative roadmap, the team at OD&A has prepared a very thorough and engaging policy preview for 2026:

Another area where Hochul and Democratic lawmakers may experience friction is over the future of the state’s comprehensive climate law, which mandates emissions reductions that the state has already admitted it will not meet. Any attempts to change or roll back climate provisions in budget talks are sure to be met with pushback from lawmakers and activists, including Senate Finance Chair Liz Krueger who said, “I look at what's happening with the federal government and with the data about how fast we are moving down the road of climate crisis, and if anything, we should be speeding up the process.” At the same time, the Public Service Commission is seeking comments on a petition that would provide an avenue for the state to roll back the law’s target for 70% renewable electricity by 2030 and 100% zero-emission electricity by 2040. Climate and energy have been tricky issues for Hochul as she attempts to walk a fine line between ensuring affordability and reliability while still advancing the sustainability policies that a vocal, politically engaged sector of the Democratic Party is calling for. Combined with Hochul’s push to streamline SEQRA reviews and environmental reviews to speed up development projects, climate and the environment will be major issues in these budget negotiations.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani held a press conference last week to preview his upcoming budget proposal and to explain how he plans to address a $12.6 billion budget gap over the next two fiscal years. Mamdani was not coy in his assessment of how New York City arrived at the deficit, saying in his remarks, “We did not arrive at this place by accident. This crisis has a name and a chief architect. In the words of the Jackson 5, it's as easy as A-B-C. This is the Adams Budget Crisis.”

While assigning blame to his predecessor, earned or not, may be politically expedient in the short term, Mamdani will ultimately be judged on how he deals with the practical realities of governing. Those fiscal realities include a mandate to decrease class sizes in New York City public schools, an expansion of the rental assistance program, and unbudgeted overtime costs. Mamdani will have to find funding streams to address these associated costs, as well as money to implement many of the affordability proposals he campaigned on. Former Mayor Eric Adams took issue with Mamdani’s characterization of the causes of the deficit, posting on social media, “Let me get this straight. The Adams administration earned top bond ratings, left the incoming mayor a record $8B in reserves, navigated the city through COVID, absorbed a $9B migrant crisis, and survived. And now the new administration is complaining? The fastest way to balance a budget is to admit that “free” comes with a price tag.” Mamdani raised increased state aid funded by further taxes on the richest New Yorkers as a policy fix, albeit one quickly dismissed by Hochul. Mamdani is scheduled to deliver his formal budget proposal to the City Council on February 17th. 

Looking further forward, New York remains in danger of losing two seats in Congress, according to a report released last week by the U.S. Census Bureau. Over the last twelve years, New York’s net population only grew by 1,008 people and is still 201,269 lower than it was in 2020—good for dead last among all 50 states and Washington, D.C. If that does not change before the next census in four years, New York is likely to go from 26 seats in Congress to 24 in 2030. As the state government works to enact policies to address the affordability crisis that is causing people to leave New York, a group of lawmakers is proposing legislation to promote maximum participation and ensure New York’s population is accurately counted. Sponsored by Senator Jeremy Cooney and Assemblymember Michaelle Solages, the bill would create a state Office of Census Counts and provide $15 million for awareness campaigns. Cooney believes the grassroots effort will help the state reach underrepresented populations, saying, "The key is to actually get that money into community-based organizations around the state who have authentic relationships with underrepresented populations.” Cooney later added, “The census counts all people living within New York State, not just legal citizens. The reason the framers designed it that way is that federal dollars should go to the population of where people are.” This is an idea all New Yorkers should get behind.

 -Jack O’Donnell

His design will be printed on a set of practice jerseys, which will be on display in the KeyBank Center concourse and available for auction through February 8. Place your bid here.