How Hochul is handling 'Washington whiplash'
Plus: New York's even-year election law was upheld and eight housing bills were signed into law.
Good afternoon — It’s Thursday, and World Food Day.
In today’s CapCon:
Hochul says she’s got “Washington whiplash” but has found her footing on how to deal with it.
New York’s law moving most local elections to even years was upheld by the state’s top court, but that may not be the last word.
Hochul signed eight housing bills Thursday, including an algorithmic rent ban.
New York is starting to implement changes to SNAP from the “One Big Beautiful Bill” that will change how benefits are determined.
Empire State Development is proposing the regulatory framework for how tax credits will be awarded for major semiconductor projects.
Names in today’s CapCon: Kathy Hochul, Letitia James, Donald J. Trump, Zohran Mamdani, Elise Stefanik, Michael Garcia, Bruce Blakeman, Ed Romaine, Linda B. Rosenthal
🗣️ Hochul is playing the long game with Trump and politics in New York
A federal judge in Manhattan on Thursday ordered the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to send New York $34 million the state was expecting in security funding.
The news was enough to bring together Gov. Kathy Hochul and state Attorney General Letitia James, strong allies, for a press conference.
The funding is on top of the $187 million that was initially cut for New York by the federal agency, which restored that money days later after lobbying and advocacy efforts from Hochul and Republican members of Congress from New York.
It’s difficult to keep track of what has been cut, what could be on the chopping block and what funding the state can count on.
“We call it Washington whiplash,” Hochul said Thursday. “You cannot possibly fathom all the different dynamics we’re experiencing.”
Hochul, as an example, recounted how in the middle of a press conference on the larger pot of funding cut by the agency, a staffer handed her a note informing her that $18 billion had just been cut for two major infrastructure projects in New York.
That money may be more difficult to get back: President Donald J. Trump reaffirmed on Wednesday that at least one of the projects was “terminated.”
But Hochul has her own strategy for addressing those issues behind the scenes, including a direct line to Trump. She gave him a ring on Wednesday, she said.
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