Mayor Adams' Statement in Response to Productive New York State Budget Agreement Delivering on NYC's Priorities

May 9, 2025

Priorities on Affordability, Public Safety, Involuntary Commitments, Discovery Reform  

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released the following statement in response to the $254 billion Fiscal Year 2026 state budget agreement reached by New York Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York state Legislature: 

“Every day, we are delivering New Yorkers a safer, more affordable city that is the best place to raise a family as we drive down crime and build record levels of affordable housing. But we cannot do it alone, and that is why we have continued to advance proposals in Albany that have the support of New Yorkers, and that, year after year, have proven to be winners.  

“We were pleased that very early on in this process, there was support for many of our proposals; this includes, ‘Axe the Tax for the Working Class,’ which will eliminate and cut city personal income taxes for over half a million working-class New Yorkers and their dependents and put $63 million back into their pockets. At a time when our state faces a historic affordability crisis, we thank Governor Hochul for first putting this in her budget in January and for working with the Legislature to ensure its passage.  

“Our administration has been clear that public safety and justice are the pre-requisites to prosperity. And that’s why, for three years, our administration has publicly called for and urged the state to take action that will make it easier for the city to help those suffering from severe mental illness, even in cases when an individual does not recognize that they need assistance. I was one of the first — and loudest — voices to call for wider use of involuntary removals and commitments, when appropriate, to help people get help when they don’t recognize their own need for it. Now, while we’re not done, I am proud to announce that our advocacy has paid off.  While we are encouraged that Albany has taken a step in the right direction, our partners in the Legislature know there is much more that must be done to truly tackle the mental health crisis we all can see on the streets and on our subways. We plan to be back again throughout this legislative session, and next year, if necessary — for the fourth year in a row — advocating for further reforms that build on the progress on this issue because we know that’s what New Yorkers want and are desperately asking to be passed.  

“Our court system is a crucial piece of the public safety apparatus, but for too long, well-intentioned reforms got in the way of prosecutors’ ability to do their jobs. We have been clear that we must make changes to the criminal justice system to prevent repeat offenders from doing further harm to our communities. We have pushed — alongside the five district attorneys representing New York City — for discovery reform to preserve the best parts of the 2019 reforms while reducing undue burdens on our prosecutors. We are supportive of the measures taken to address these issues and are hopeful that they will result in a reduction of unnecessary dismissals, speed up criminal cases, and ensure greater protection for witnesses, while achieving swift and fair justice for all parties. We are hopeful that these updates will help keep recidivists from repeatedly endangering New Yorkers and support our mission of keeping our city safe.   

“We appreciate Governor Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Heastie, and the Legislature for hearing us out and collaborating with us to ultimately reach consensus around our key priorities, and we look forward to working throughout the remainder of the legislative session to push additional priorities New Yorkers are counting on us to deliver for them.”   

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