Governor Hochul Denounces Federal Budget's Betrayal of New York

New York faces a crisis. The House of Representatives has pushed through a budget reconciliation bill that endangers the health, security, and future of millions. Governor Kathy Hochul's letter to Senate Majority Leader John Thune spells out the stakes with chilling clarity. This bill attacks healthcare, food security, clean energy, and education, unraveling decades of progress. As a New Yorker who cherishes our state's commitment to its people, I'm outraged by this betrayal.

The numbers are staggering. The bill strips $13.5 billion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, threatening coverage for 1.5 million residents. It cuts SNAP benefits, leaving nearly three million New Yorkers struggling to afford food. It eliminates clean energy tax credits, risking $25 billion in investments and countless jobs. Worst of all, it fails to lift the SALT cap, taxing middle-class families twice. These policies hit real people, including nurses, teachers, and parents, where it hurts most.

What motivates this assault? A relentless drive to slash taxes for the wealthiest while leaving working families to fend for themselves. The Congressional Budget Office warns this bill will balloon the national debt by $2.2 trillion, even after gutting essential programs. How can anyone justify this as fiscal responsibility? It's a moral failure, plain and simple.

Hochul's letter demands better, a demand New Yorkers echo. New York has fought for its safety nets, its clean energy leadership, and its schools. This budget spits in the face of those values. The Senate can stop it, but the real fight starts with us, in our communities, where these cuts will leave scars.

Let's unpack the devastation this bill promises and why resistance is essential.

Healthcare is a right. This budget, however, treats it as disposable. By cutting $13.5 billion from Medicaid and the ACA, the House puts 1.5 million New Yorkers at risk of losing coverage. Rural hospitals, already on the brink, could close forever, leaving entire towns without care. Providers will face financial ruin, and patients will suffer the consequences.

Since the Affordable Care Act took effect in 2010, New York has slashed its uninsured rate, giving families security. Undoing that means more parents skipping checkups, more seniors rationing meds, more kids without care. The bill's defenders talk about curbing Medicaid "abuse," but their plan starves the system, hitting the vulnerable hardest, including children, the disabled, and the elderly. Who gains from this? Only those shielding tax breaks for millionaires.

New York's healthcare system serves as a lifeline. It requires increased funding. We can't let this budget tear it apart.

Food is a basic need. This bill, however, makes it harder for families to eat. Nearly three million New Yorkers depend on SNAP, yet the House cuts federal support and saddles the state with $2.1 billion in new costs. Families already stretched thin will face brutal choices: groceries or utilities?

SNAP, a cornerstone since 1964, boosts local economies and keeps kids fed. This bill weakens it with bureaucratic hurdles and cost-shifting that punishes states for doing their job. Some claim states are responsible for more SNAP costs to streamline programs, but New York's system is already efficient. Forcing the state to cover billions more will shrink benefits or hike taxes, hammering working people. This measure represents cruelty.

We can't let policymakers who tout "responsibility" starve our neighbors to fund corporate tax cuts. New Yorkers deserve better.

New York's clean energy revolution is at risk. The bill scraps Inflation Reduction Act tax credits, threatening $25 billion in renewable and storage projects. Since 2022, these credits have driven solar, wind, and battery growth, created 150,000 jobs, and set us up to save $38 billion on electricity by 2030. Eliminating them endangers our grid and our planet.

The Green and Resilient Retrofit Program, vital for energy-efficient affordable housing, also gets axed, leaving low-income renters with higher bills. Added electric vehicle fees and canceled transit funds pile on costs for everyone. Why sabotage a system delivering jobs and sustainability? The answer lies in prioritizing tax cuts over our future.

Some call these credits market distortions, but federal energy incentives since 1978 have sparked innovation and growth. Scrapping them now betrays New York's leadership in the fight for a greener tomorrow. We must protect these investments.

The damage doesn't stop there. This budget hits education by gutting Pell Grants and student loans, threatening thousands of community college students. It taxes nonprofits and universities, stifling innovation. It bans state AI safety laws, exposing us to unchecked risks. And it keeps the SALT cap, punishing middle-class taxpayers. Each move erodes what makes New York strong.

Our state's history, from Medicaid's birth in 1965 to universal school meals in 2025, shows we invest in people. This budget rejects that legacy, favoring the rich over the rest. Can we let it pass without a fight? The Senate needs to kill this bill and work with Chuck Schumer for a budget that serves families, not elites.

This is our moment. Speak up, organize, vote. Our healthcare, our security, our clean energy, they're worth fighting for. Let's show the House that New York won't back down.