REMARKS AS PREPARED: SPEAKER JULIE MENIN DELIVERS TESTIMONY DURING JOINT LEGISLATIVE HEARING ON PROPOSED FY 2027 EXECUTIVE BUDGET

ALBANY, NY - Today, New York City Council Speaker Julie Menin delivered testimony during a joint legislative public hearing on the proposed Fiscal Year 2027 Executive State Budget. The hearing was streamed live here.

Read Speaker Menin's oral testimony as prepared for delivery:

Good afternoon, Chairs Krueger, Pretlow, Bottcher, and Burke; Senator O'Mara and Assemblyman Palmesano; and members of the Senate Finance, Assembly Ways and Means, and Cities Committees.

I am Julie Menin, Speaker of the New York City Council. Thank you for the opportunity to testify today on the Governor's Fiscal Year 2027 Executive Budget on behalf of the New York City Council and the 8.6 million New Yorkers we represent.

I want to thank Governor Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Assembly Speaker Heastie for their leadership and partnership.

At a moment of fiscal uncertainty driven by federal hurdles and rising costs, we are approaching this budget with a clear goal in mind: to ensure New York City is livable and affordable not just in the present for our children, but in the future when they have their own.

It will take responsible stewards of public resources to deliver this vision, focused as much on tomorrow's agenda as on long-term planning.

My oral testimony will touch upon a couple of our key priorities and the impact of proposals in the Executive Budget on New York City. My full written testimony has been submitted and includes a more complete agenda.

New York City's budget is increasingly strained by federal decisions that reduce funding and State decisions that shift costs onto localities, and these strains undermine our ability to keep the city affordable and invest in long-term stability. While New York City is more than willing to do its part, we should not be unfairly burdened and relied upon as a means for State budgetary relief.

Historically, for instance, the City has not contributed to the State's costs for SNAP administration, but the Executive Budget assumes that the city will cover $111 million. At a time when food insecurity remains elevated and families are still feeling the effects of inflation, shifting these costs onto the City would force us to choose between sustaining our own safety net and absorbing federal cuts the State is better positioned to manage. The State should continue to fully cover this expense rather than shifting costs to the City and other localities.

Affordability lives or dies with working families, and every dollar spent helping them afford childcare is a dollar that circulates back into the local economy.

To be clear, our City Council has been working on Universal Childcare since 2022 and supports any additional funding we can secure to ensure that every New York family gets the relief they deserve. The Council backs the proposed increase of $235 million for 3K and Pre-K funding, which increases State funding for the first time since Fiscal 2019. The Executive Budget also includes a dedicated $73 million for a pilot to increase the number of 2-year-old slots in New York City. And when it comes to the ACS vouchers for childcare, the city is asking for $577 million that would serve the current caseload and fulfill those families on the waiting list.

To give our youth a real shot at long-term economic mobility, we must also think long-term. When I served as commissioner of consumer affairs, I created a universal college savings program called NYC Kids RISE, which gives every public-school student a 529 account, seed money, and access to additional investments. Research shows that higher educational attainment leads to substantially higher earnings over a lifetime, with college graduates earning nearly 60 percent more than those with only a high school diploma.

Since launching in 2017, we have already established over 340,000 savings accounts that total more than $50 million, and that's money that can be used for college and vocational school. Now, we want to expand this program, and we're proposing $1,000 for every public-school kindergartener and $3,000 for children with the highest need. This would remain universal, with targeted investments of NYC Future Funds costing a total of $180 million, of which the state should invest $90 million.

Housing is at the core of whether families can imagine a future in New York City. We appreciate the State's investments to date, but the magnitude of the crisis requires more ambitious, sustained partnership.

The Council welcomes State support for affordable development and preservation, specifically its contribution in Fiscal Year 2026 of $1 billion toward the historic City of Yes housing plan, which should create more than 82,000 new homes. We also support the new State housing investments included in the FY 2027 Executive Budget, including $250 million for affordable housing statewide.

In December 2021, StateFHEPS rates were increased to match the CityFHEPS rate - but the State did not provide additional funding to cover this higher cost, leaving the City to fund the difference. This cost shift has occurred alongside an increase in the number of New Yorkers applying for housing rental vouchers, another indication of the affordability crisis. To fund the increased use of the vouchers as well as the expansion gap of the rates, we are advocating that the State invest an additional $100 million

Many NYCHA buildings are in a state of disrepair, with an estimated $80 billion in capital needs systemwide. Although the State has been supportive of NYCHA in the past, $720 million in capital funding remains unspent since 2021. The State and NYCHA must effectively collaborate to quickly disburse this remaining balance and resolve the disrepair. And looking ahead, the Council calls on the State to add an additional $1 billion in capital funding each year for NYCHA over the next four years to support urgent repairs.

Central to our identity and economy is New York City's status as a sanctuary city. But with senseless attacks on our immigrant community, the federal government has continued to undermine it. As Albany considers legislation to protect our friends and our neighbors, we know New Yorkers deserve to be safe - and they deserve to trust that our justice system is fair and effective. Securing access to legal representation is far harder than it should be, and we must increase funding to community-based organizations like NYLAG, Catholic Charities, and the New York Immigration Coalition who help make it easier by funding legal counsel, immigration hotlines, and vital trainings.

State policy should strengthen protections for immigrant New Yorkers, particularly in light of brutal, dangerous crackdowns by federal entities across the country. This includes our very own City Council employee Rafael Rubio who was detained by ICE during a routine check-in, even though he had all the correct authorizations to live and work in the United States. We are still doing everything we can to secure his immediate release from ICE custody.

The effects of ICE linger beyond the fear they stoke in the streets; their presence has the potential to hinder the accuracy of census results. And as we think about the City's long-term fiscal health, we cannot ignore the 2030 Census. The Executive Budget's proposed $3 million for Census activities is a start, but it is far below what is needed for a state of our size and complexity.

Based on current trends, New York is projected to lose two to three more House seats and billions of dollars of federal funds in 2030 if we do not act now. When I served as head of the 2020 census, we invested $40 million into our efforts with unbelievable results. Not only did we have the best response rates of any city in the country, but it meant a return of an additional $1.8 billion per year for the next ten years.

So with renewed threats of ICE and the potential impact it could have on census response rates, I cannot think of a better investment. The Council urges the State to invest at least $40 million in early Census preparation. This would provide support for community-based organizations, multilingual outreach, and data infrastructure, so New York does not again leave representation and resources on the table.

The Council stands ready to be a financial steward of our city's budget - because that is what our government needs and our residents deserve. We are excited to work with the Governor and Legislature to ensure New York City remains a place where people can afford to build a life and imagine a future for their families.

Thank you for the opportunity to submit this testimony and for your continued partnership on behalf of the people of New York.

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