In the latest news from Albany, Gov. Kathy Hochul is remarkably consistent about blaming President Donald Trump preemptively for her problems.
If Hochul's massive proposed state budget bankrupts New York, well, that's Trump's fault. If it turns out there are far more illegal aliens working in New York who get deported, and the city economy crashes? That's Trump's fault too, not the governor who has been in charge for the last 3.5 years.
Revealed yesterday, Hochul's budget proposal clocks in at a not-so-cool $252 billion. Roughly $5 billion of that is for programs designed to increase the governor's popularity ahead of the 2026 election: $3 billion for "inflation rebate" checks ($500 for those making between $150--300K, $300 for those under $150K).
The irony here, of course, is that "free money" is the root cause of inflation. Her band-aid makes the larger disease worse.
Another $1 billion goes to a parsimonious tax cut (0.1% less for those making less than $300K). Still another billion goes to increasing the child tax credit and free school meals. An absurd $13.5 million goes toward restricting cell phone use in public schools.
Why does it cost $13.5 million for schools to tell kids not to use their cell phones? https://t.co/ty2SEpkpu2
— Todd Hallidy (@ToddHallidy) January 21, 2025
Hochul claims that the federal government should cover any state shortcomings to fund her budget. When pressed by reporters as to why, she claimed that she is "simply framing where the debate should be."
Hochul is trying her best to live on both sides of the illegal alien issue. On one hand, she has publicly stated in the last year that New York has too many "migrants" and "needs a break". She has also stated that she will be the first to "call ICE" on any violent criminal illegal in New York.
Hochul can't handle the heat:
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) February 21, 2024
"We have 175,000 migrants who came here. Our city and its resources are absolutely overwhelmed. We need a break." pic.twitter.com/FZD9NikoSZ
When it comes to the economy, however, her tone shifts. Hochul revealed yesterday that the number of illegal aliens working in New York is 417,000.
Hochul pointed to construction, housekeeping, restaurants, food delivery, and janitorial work as the primary sources of services provided by noncitizens. She claimed "these industries will be significantly disrupted" if President Trump carries out mass deportations.
However, according to Hochul's report, there is a fulcrum on the deportation spectrum where New York benefits: if some illegals are deported, but not all of them, the state could benefit. As reported by the New York Post:
“The potential deportation of undocumented immigrants could further exacerbate the State’s population loss and labor shortages. A long-term decline in population remains a significant downside risk to both wages and employment.”
Conversely, New York City and the state could benefit if New York City’s population loss is less than anticipated and the immigration crackdown isn’t as restrictive as expected, the analysis concluded.
And so Hochul's trapeze act comes into focus. She wants to get rid of the illegals acting as a drain on the economy--in other words, the unemployed--while keeping those who work and stay out of trouble. In other words, she supports the first leg of Trump's alleged plan to target criminal aliens first.
Apparently, Hochul is not in agreement with further tranches of deportation, as that's where, in her estimation, ICE would begin to cut into New York's muscle.
