Current:Home > StocksNew York governor wants to spend $2.4B to help deal with migrant influx in new budget proposal-LoTradeCoin
New York governor wants to spend $2.4B to help deal with migrant influx in new budget proposal
View Date:2024-12-24 10:57:28
ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday that she wants to spend $2.4 billion to help deal with the massive influx of migrants who have overwhelmed New York City’s homeless shelters — addressing a damaging political issue for Democrats in her proposed state budget.
The migrant spending plan came as part of a $233 billion budget proposal from the governor’s office that will kick off months of negotiations with legislative leaders.
How the governor planned to deal with migrants, some 70,000 of whom are in the care of New York City, had been a looming question ahead of the legislative session. She did not tackle the issue in her State of the State address last week and the word “migrant” wasn’t mentioned in her detailed 181-page policy plan book.
On Tuesday, she unveiled a plan to provide shelter services, legal assistance and more for asylum-seekers, and reiterated calls for the federal government to provide more assistance to the state.
“We’re doing this not just because it’s the right thing to do for the migrants and for the city of New York,” Hochul said at the state Capitol. “We also know that companies won’t do business in New York if there are thousands of people sleeping on the streets, or the quality of life is dramatically impacted because the city is forced to cut essential services.”
The issue has the potential to damage Democratic congressional candidates in New York this fall, with key suburban races in the state expected to heavily count toward which party controls the U.S. House. Republicans have been lobbing steady criticism at President Joe Biden and fellow Democrats over federal immigration policy, with the subject already touching races in New York.
“We have a Democratic administration in Washington that hasn’t addressed the border crisis, has not secured the border,” Assembly Republican Minority Leader Will Barclay told reporters. “I’m not thrilled to have to spend any money on the migrant crisis.”
The arrival of migrants in New York is in part a result of operations led by the Republican governor of Texas, where migrants are sent by bus or plane to northern states controlled by Democrats.
Hochul’s plan would earmark $2.4 billion for short-term shelter services, health care and pay for larger-scale emergency housing centers that have been set up to deal with the influx of asylum seekers. It would also be used to pay for legal assistance to help migrants through the asylum and work-permitting process.
The governor told reporters she will head to Washington this week to meet with the Biden administration to discuss the migrant influx — one of many such visits she has had over the last several months.
“Until we see a change in federal policy that slows the flow of new arrivals, we’re going to be swimming against the tide,” Hochul said.
The proposed budget also provided Hochul a chance to elaborate on several policy proposals she announced last week.
She asked for $35.3 billion in education funding, in part to expand universal prekindergarten programs in school districts across the state, and said she wants $40 million for a plan to crack down on retail theft. Separately, she said spending on Medicaid would reach $35.5 billion, which would mark an increase from last year driven by greater enrollment.
The deadline for adopting a state budget is April 1.
___
Maysoon Khan is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
veryGood! (3)
Related
- NFL Week 10 winners, losers: Cowboys' season can no longer be saved
- The Masked Singer Reveals This Vanderpump Rules Scandoval Star as The Diver
- Biden admin is forgiving $9 billion in debt for 125,000 Americans. Here's who they are.
- NFL Denies They Did Something Bad With Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift
- Beyoncé nominated for album of the year at Grammys — again. Will she finally win?
- Dungeon & Dragons-themed whiskey out this week: See the latest brands, celebs to release new spirits
- Tickets for 2024 Paralympics include day passes granting access to multiple venues and sports
- 11-year-old accused of shooting, injuring 2 teens at football practice is denied home detention
- MLS playoff teams set: Road to MLS Cup continues with conference semifinals
- Auto worker strike highlights disparities between temporary and permanent employees
Ranking
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign chancellor to step down at end of academic year
- Man arrested hours after rape and killing of 5-year-old girl in Kansas
- New York City moves to suspend ‘right to shelter’ as migrant influx continues
- Morgan State shooting erupted during dispute but victims were unintended targets, police say
- Judge recuses himself in Arizona fake elector case after urging response to attacks on Kamala Harris
- Apple releases fix for issue causing the iPhone 15 to run ‘warmer than expected’
- Highlights from AP-NORC poll about the religiously unaffiliated in the US
- Trump’s lawyers seek to postpone his classified documents trial until after the 2024 election
Recommendation
-
Why California takes weeks to count votes, while states like Florida are faster
-
Pennsylvania could go after lottery winnings, tax returns of turnpike toll scofflaws
-
Tennessee Three Rep. Justin Jones sues House speaker, says he was unconstitutionally expelled
-
FIFA announces three-continent host sites for 2030 World Cup and 100th anniversary
-
This is Your Sign To Share this Luxury Gift Guide With Your Partner *Hint* *Hint
-
Bodies of mother bear and her 2 cubs found dumped on state land leads to arrest
-
Mayor of Tokyo’s Shibuya district asks Halloween partygoers to stay away
-
Ukraine's Army of Drones tells CBS News $40 million worth of Russian military hardware destroyed in a month