Governor Hochul Unveils Proposals to Protect New Yorkers from Reckless Attacks By the Federal Government

Governor Hochul today unveiled new proposals to protect New Yorkers from reckless attacks from the federal government in her 2026 State of the State. As Washington Republicans continue to drive up costs, rip away health care and food assistance, and roll back New Yorkers' rights and freedoms, Governor Hochul is announcing additional plans that support and stand up for working families across the state. Governor Hochul has been clear, New York State cannot backfill every cut coming from Washington, but we will continue to defend New York's families from attacks.

"Today, New York is facing strong headwinds as a result of the reckless actions of Washington Republicans," Governor Hochul said. "Whether it's protecting New Yorkers from unprecedented escalations in federal immigration enforcement, ensuring families have access to health care, or supporting small businesses bearing the brunt of Trump's tariffs, I will continue standing up for New Yorkers no matter what happens at the federal level."

Establishing a Right To Sue Federal Officers for Constitutional Violations

With unprecedented escalations in aggressive federal immigration enforcement, communities across the United States are reeling from heavy-handed tactics that have been alleged to trample on constitutional rights.

To protect communities across the state and ensure accountability when constitutional rights are violated, Governor Hochul will advance legislation that gives New Yorkers a clear path to seek justice when their rights are violated.

The proposal authorizes individuals to bring state-level civil actions against federal officers who violate New Yorkers' U.S. constitutional rights, consistent with the same legal standards that already exist elsewhere in the law. Notably, state and local officers already are subject to these standards, including qualified immunity that protects law enforcement officers who act within the bounds of clearly established law. This legislation would ensure accountability for federal officers under those standards. By aligning state law with existing federal civil rights frameworks, this proposal reinforces constitutional protections and provides New Yorkers with a meaningful legal recourse when federal authority is unconstitutionally abused in New York.

Protecting New Yorkers in Sensitive Locations

For decades, federal policy under both parties has limited warrantless civil immigration enforcement in sensitive locations such as schools, hospitals, and houses of worship. Recent federal changes have rolled back these protections, disrupting public safety, school communities, access to care, and trust in critical institutions.

New Yorkers should be able to attend school, access child care, seek medical care, and worship in peace. Governor Hochul will propose legislation to ensure sensitive locations can be protected from civil immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant. This measure will help provide stability for children and families in essential community spaces.

Making Every New Yorker Count

The decennial census is the foundation of New York's political representation and federal funding. Following the 2020 Census, the state lost a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives by a margin of only 89 residents-one of the narrowest margins in history. Undercounting New York residents directly impacts the State's influence in Washington, and risks our fair share of the billions of dollars in federal aid that support our roads, bridges, hospitals and schools, as well as vital programs that families depend on such as Medicaid, SNAP, and WIC.

As the federal government signals a shift in responsibility for census operations to the states, Governor Hochul will kick off the census planning process early, ensuring New York secures its fair share of federal resources and every community is accurately represented in Albany and Washington for the decade to come. She will take proactive steps to ensure that all New Yorkers-including historically hard-to-count populations such as low-income residents, children under five, and renters-are fully represented. Specifically, she will:

• Establish a state census commission responsible for strategic planning, coordination, and community outreach
• Identify a lead planner for the state to drive planning efforts and coordinate work across agencies
• Call on agencies and community-based organizations to lead public education efforts and build trust, especially in hard-to-count neighborhoods
• Support counties, cities, townships and tribal governments, to update the Local Update of Census Addresses (LUCA), ensuring every residence is accurately mapped. In 2020, LUCA efforts ensured more than 800,00

Protecting New York Farmers from the Disruption of Federal Tariffs

Agriculture is a cornerstone of New York's economy, yet the federal government's misguided tariff policy has threatened the competitiveness of our farmers. By inciting trade wars with key international partners like Canada and Mexico, federal actions have driven up the cost of essential resources - like seeds, fertilizer, and necessary machinery - while creating market instability. Although the USDA recently announced a national assistance program, it is fundamentally flawed for New York since it leaves specialty crops and the dairy sector with no meaningful support.

To address this issue caused by the federal government, Governor Hochul is proposing the Agricultural Resiliency Against Tariffs Program, which will provide $30 million in direct payments to New York specialty crop growers, livestock producers, and dairy farmers. This initiative will quickly distribute much needed support to offset rising costs caused by tariffs. This program reinforces New York's commitment to our agricultural community, while safeguarding local jobs and ensuring our farmers have the certainty needed to compete in a volatile global marketplace.

Enhancing New York Student Borrower Support Campaign

Federal changes to student loan policy are eliminating existing repayment options and imposing limits on student access to loans starting in 2026. The borrowing landscape has become overwhelmingly complex for both current and future borrowers. Governor Hochul will announce the expansion of services through the Education Debt Consumer Assistance Program (EDCAP) to help educate borrowers on ways to navigate the increasingly complicated policy context associated with student loans to avoid and recover from delinquency.

EDCAP - New York's first-in-the-nation student loan consumer assistance program, which has saved New Yorkers $48 million since its inception in 2019 - will launch an aggressive campaign to reach, assist, and educate thousands of delinquent or soon-to-be-delinquent student loan borrowers by partnering directly with colleges and universities, with a focus on public institutions, to deploy a robust triage model that combines webinars, self-paced tools, and one-on-one counseling. The Department of Financial Services will also develop a new education program to inform individuals about predatory lending and provide additional consumer outreach efforts. Together, these actions will help student borrowers comply with evolving rules, access support services to exit and recover from delinquency, and avoid predatory lending schemes.

Strengthening New York's Food Safety Net

The recent shutdown of the federal government reminded the nation of how precarious our nutrition safety net is and how many New Yorkers contend with food instability. In response to the shutdown, Governor Hochul rushed an additional $65 million towards food assistance programs that deliver meals to tens of thousands of New Yorkers in their hour of need.

To build on these actions and further reinforce our emergency food system, Governor Hochul is now announcing additional investments in the Department of Health (DOH)'s Hunger Prevention and Nutrition Assistance Program (HPNAP) program, which will help New York's network of about 2,700 food banks, pantries, and soup kitchens, reach more New Yorkers in need. New resources will strengthen and expand operations, allowing them to reach more people with healthier options.

Governor Hochul will also upgrade New York's EBT cards to secure chip-based technology that makes cards virtually impervious to mass skimming. While the federal administration tries to strip SNAP benefits from as many New Yorkers as possible and turns a blind eye to criminals stealing critically important food assistance from vulnerable households, transitioning to chip-based EBT cards will help safeguard the SNAP dollars that New Yorkers depend on to feed their families.

Protecting High-Quality, Affordable Health Care

Despite achieving one of the lowest uninsured rates in the nation, recent federal actions threaten the continued affordability and accessibility of health coverage in New York. Federal cuts to New York's Essential Plan totaling $7.5 billion, more than half of the program's annual funding, endanger the program's continued viability. The expiration of federal enhanced premium tax credits means that 140,000 New Yorkers are paying 40% more for premiums in 2026. Taken together, these federal policies are poised to roll back more than a decade of progress in bringing affordable health coverage to New Yorkers.

To safeguard hard-won gains, Governor Hochul will direct the Department of Health to take steps to protect and strengthen existing coverage and explore new coverage options. To mitigate coverage losses, Governor Hochul directed DOH to submit an application to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to return the Essential Plan to a Basic Health Program, a move which will preserve coverage for 1.3 million New Yorkers for whom the premium-free program is a critical lifeline. For the 450,000 New Yorkers who will lose their current Essential Plan coverage in this transition, Governor Hochul will direct the Department to negotiate with the federal government to design and implement affordable coverage options to ensure continued access to affordable healthcare for those impacted by Federal cuts.

Leveraging New York's Purchasing Power To Drive Down Drug Costs

Since the 2023 transition of New York's Medicaid pharmacy benefit to the streamlined NYRx program, which garnered the State more than $600M in new drug rebates, New York has become a nation-leader in pharmacy benefit management and reform. However, given the State's size and market share, New York's supplemental rebates - the state negotiated discounts Medicaid receives on top of federally-mandated rebates - are only average by national standards, while overall drug prices nationwide continue to soar.

To address stubbornly rising pharmaceutical prices and leverage New York's purchasing power, Governor Hochul will direct the Department of Health to identify and target specific classes of high-cost drugs for direct negotiations with manufacturers to achieve better discounts for the State. The move will drive significant savings for the Medicaid program at a time of significant cost pressures arising from federal cuts, while also laying the groundwork for future initiatives to lower pharmaceutical prices statewide.

Protecting Immunization Access

New York's immunization policies rely on federal vaccine schedules that, under the current administration, are becoming less and less anchored in science. This creates uncertainty for schools, healthcare providers, and New Yorkers in general; it also puts the health of our communities at risk and, in some cases, increases patient costs.

To keep New Yorkers safe and keep money in their pockets, Governor Hochul will advance legislation to ensure New York can set its own immunization standards based on accepted medical science and public health needs. The proposal will authorize the Commissioner of Health, in consultation with recognized medical organizations, to establish immunization requirements that guide school eligibility, clinical practice, and insurance coverage. This will provide clarity for providers and insurers, protect access to vaccines, and strengthen public health statewide.

Contact the Governor's Press Office