In her fourth State of the State address, Gov. Kathy Hochul pledged to address New Yorkers’ growing concerns over the state’s cost of living and high-profile crimes as a likely tough re-election fight in 2026 looms on the horizon.
But Long Island Republicans criticized the governor for pandering to affordability and safety, arguing she hasn’t done enough to address these issues.
“Last week, we gaveled in a new legislative season, and suddenly, everyone is talking about affordability—an issue the Assembly Republican Conference has been vocal on for years,” state Assembly Member Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) said.
Ra said the governor’s actions, such as congestion pricing tolls, counter her calls for more affordability.
Hochul’s roughly hour-long speech, which she delivered at Albany’s Hart Theatre on Jan. 14, appeared, in part, to react to President-elect Donald Trump’s significant gains in the Empire State during last year’s election.
While Trump still lost by a healthy margin in November, many voters defected to him, citing challenges like the high cost of everyday items and concerns over New York becoming less safe as the central reasons.
It also appeared to be Hochul’s response to her potential re-election opponents, including US Reps. Ritchie Torres (D-Bronx) and Mike Lawler (R-Hudson Valley), who have already begun attacking her record on both fronts.
The governor, sounding very much like Mayor Eric Adams in his State of the City speech last week, said she is going into 2025 with a focus on making New York livable for families.
“Our future depends on the ability of every family to afford the essentials of life and our ability to protect the safety and security of our residents,” Hochul said. “But we will not achieve these goals without a fight. So my commitment to every New Yorker is this: Your family is my fight. That has been the inspiration and impetus for everything we have done for the last three years.”
To achieve that goal, Hochul rolled out affordability proposals such as lowering taxes for the middle class, making school meals free to all New York state students, and funding free associate degree programs for students pursuing degrees in certain “high-demand” fields.
When it comes to public safety, Hochul proposed making it easier to involuntarily hospitalize severely mentally ill individuals, putting a cop on every New York City subway car overnight, and tweaking the state’s pretrial discovery laws.
Affordability
Hochul’s marquee proposal to address the state’s high cost of living is a tax cut for the middle class.
The governor proposed cutting income taxes by a collective $1 billion for 8.3 million tax filers making up to $323,000 annually. She said that once the tax cut is fully phased in, 77% of New Yorkers will save hundreds of dollars in income tax payments.
If passed by the state legislature this year, the reduction would apply in the current tax year, according to the governor’s office.
“The tax cut I propose today and will fight for in the coming months will deliver the lowest tax rates in 70 years,” Hochul said. “By itself, it’s a monumental win for New Yorkers in the battle for affordability, but that’s just the start.”
Additionally, the governor proposed making public school breakfasts and lunches free for all students at schools across the state. The program would save New York families an average of $165 on their grocery bills a month, according to Hochul’s office.
The governor also unveiled a measure to make State University of New York and City University of New York programs free for those between ages 25 and 55 pursuing associates degrees in “high demand” fields. The subject areas include nursing, technology, and engineering.
Hochul also mentioned previously announced affordability proposals like giving New Yorkers one-time stimulus checks up to $500 and expnading the state’s family tax credit to as much as $1,000 per child for families under four.
Long Island Association President Matt Cohen applauded the governor’s proposals.
“Our region’s cost of living is an existential crisis, and Gov. Hochul is right to tackle this head-on by addressing three priorities critical to growing the economy and keeping Long Islanders on Long Island: cutting income taxes, building more housing, and investing in child care,” Cohen said. “The Governor doubled down on the state’s commitment to be at the vanguard of 21st century industries like offshore wind and AI, and so Long Island stands to capitalize as a national leader due to our world-class academic and research assets, and a highly talented workforce.”
But state Assembly Member John Mikulin (R–Bethpage) called the governor “out of touch.”
“While Gov. Hochul addressed concerns over affordability and inflation issues in her State of the State speech, her out-of-touch ‘solutions’ to these issues will do nothing but drive more New Yorkers out-of-state,” Mikulin said. “Enough is enough. With so many New Yorkers struggling to make ends meet, we must bring common-sense policymaking to the table throughout legislative session this year. It is time we bring middle-class families, seniors and small businesses the financial security and affordability they deserve.”
Public Safety
The governor also devoted a large swath of her speech to plans aimed at assuaging New York City residents’ concerns about violent crimes on the city’s streets and subways.
Given that those with severe mental illness commit many violent incidents on the city’s subways, Hochul said she wants to work with the state legislature to expand the criteria for involuntary hospitalizations. In effect, Hochul endorsed expanding involuntary removals from those who pose an imminent danger to themselves or others to also include those who are unable to tend to basic needs like feeding and sheltering themselves.
“Critics will say this criminalizes poverty or homelessness, I say that is flat out wrong,” the governor said. “There’s nothing compassionate about letting people suffer without treatment on the streets, and there’s nothing compassionate about letting people put themselves or others at risk.”
The governor’s commitment appeared to be a direct answer to Mayor Eric Adams’ very public calls since late 2022 for the state to expand involuntary hospitalizations.
“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 — and we are encouraged that the governor was vocal in her support for these measures in her address today,” Adams said in a statement.
Furthermore, Hochul pledged to work with Adams to place a police officer on every city subway car between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. for the next six months. She said the MTA will also install LED lighting in all subway stations and add platform edge barriers to an additional 100 by the end of the year.
But the group Communities United for Police Reform, in a statement, argued that Hochul’s plans will only serve to criminalize mental illness without addressing the issue’s root causes.
“These removals disproportionately impact communities of color – especially Black people – and do not address the root causes of why so many New Yorkers struggle with their mental health and cannot access healthcare services,” the group said. “Expanding involuntary removals further criminalizes people who are unhoused and those living with mental health complexities. Once again, flooding more officers into the subways will only compound this.”
Schneps Media Long Island reporter Cameryn Oakes contributed reporting to this article.
