For Gov. Kathy Hochul, it’s still about affordability.
The Democrat put several proposals to address the elevated cost of living at the center of her State of the State message. To help spur construction and lower housing costs, Hochul is proposing changes to the state’s environmental review laws for certain residential projects. She earlier announced plans to increase subsidized childcare and add funding to a state heating assistance program.
“This year while Washington takes a machete to our safety net, I’m doubling down on the fight for a more affordable New York,” Hochul said. “I want New York to be the No. 1 place for anyone to start a family and build their future right here.”
This is Hochul’s fifth State of the State speech, but it comes as she seeks a second full term in office in November. The moderate governor is facing challengers attacking her from the left and right, and she must grapple with the progressive agenda laid out by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a democratic socialist who took office this month.
Mamdani joined Hochul last week to announce an additional $1.7 billion for an existing child care voucher program and to start a “2-Care” program for roughly 2,000 2-year-olds in New York City. He led a standing ovation when the governor announced the plan during her speech, and later said he was struck by how Hochul’s words “ showcased a new approach to politics right here in our state.”
The speech lasted just under 50 minutes, punctuated by videos and funny memes, including a picture of Homer Simpson during an announcement of a nuclear training program. Governors often use their January addresses to outline grab bags of priorities, all of which must be approved by the state Legislature. More details are expected next week when Hochul proposes a state budget.
The governor highlighted a plan to create protest-free buffer zones around houses of worship and restrictions on minors using AI chatbots. She also wants to more than double the state’s nuclear energy generation, to create a “backbone” of reliable energy for New Yorkers.
Hochul also proposed a law that would require utility companies to disclose their executive pay in comparison to the pay of the average worker, and do more to justify why any proposed rate increases are necessary.
Republicans said policies that create new big government programs don’t actually make the state more cost-competitive.
“I didn't hear too much in that speech that gives me great hope to think that prices are going to come down because of her policies,” said Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay, a Republican from Oswego County. “Most of what I heard is more spending coming out of New York State government. We've increased spending outrageously.”
“It’s the same talk, different year,” said Brooklyn state Sen. Steve Chan in the party’s official rebuttal.
Chan warned of higher taxes to pay for signature programs like universal child care. “The governor is not steering the ship,” he said. “She is being steered by extremists, socialists, who are promising everything to everyone for free.”
Democrats who control the state Assembly and Senate said they would work with the governor on achieving her goals. Hochul joined them in setting up new proposals in contrast to the federal government and President Donald Trump — both in terms of Republican-backed reductions to spending and policies on immigration.
“Donald Trump is an authoritarian,” state Sen. Gustavo Rivera, a Bronx Democrat, said after the speech. “There’s obviously a lot New York has to do to protect its people.”
The White House didn’t immediately return a message seeking comment.
Hochul’s biggest face-off against the Trump administration is over immigration enforcement. She announced a proposal to give people “recourse” if they are injured or their property is destroyed during an encounter with federal immigration agents. Hochul wants to let New Yorkers sue federal agents over misconduct, subject to the same standards applied to state and local law enforcement officers.
The governor also said she will back legislation that limits civil immigration enforcement without a judicial warrant in “sensitive locations,” including schools, hospitals and houses of worship.
“Public safety will always come first,” Hochul said. “But it must be pursued lawfully and with humanity. We will not allow masked ICE agents to storm our schools, our day care centers, our hospitals.”
Progressive lawmakers and activists who support expanding the state’s sanctuary protections said they were closely watching just how far Hochul went on the topic this year. The governor hasn’t endorsed a full break with ICE, stressing that the state cooperates with the federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency on criminal investigations.
Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado, who is now challenging Hochul in a Democratic primary, supports that legislation. He has said her agenda just “tinkers around the edges” of problems — including immigration.
State Sen. Jabari Brisport, a democratic socialist from Brooklyn, said he was heartened by Hochul’s strong words.
“ That's been a weak point for her in the past, but this is really exciting to see,” he said. “She's open and moving towards making sure New Yorkers feel safe from ICE.”
Republicans said they oppose legislation that would restrict cooperation with immigration agents. State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt, of Niagara County, said the federal government is making the state safer.
“The fact that you have people in the streets of these cities going out of their way to go after ICE, make their job more difficult, I think that's criminal and disgusting,” Ortt said Monday.
One of Hochul’s biggest policy initiatives has to do with environmental regulations surrounding housing construction, where state officials hope wonky changes to permitting processes could improve the supply of available housing.
The governor wants to streamline the process under the state's State Environmental Quality Review Act, or SEQRA, for certain housing projects that don’t violate local zoning and have no impact on the environment.
She cited a review by the state Homes and Community Renewal agency that found that while more than a thousand projects were subjected to additional review, virtually none of them were ultimately found to have environmental impacts.
“It cost some projects a year or two and we don’t have time to delay by a year or two when we have an 800,000 unit housing goal we’re trying to get to over the next decade,” said RuthAnne Visnauskas, commissioner for New York State Homes and Community Renewal. “So we’re really excited to work in conjunction with the folks at [the state Department of Environmental Conservation] to be talking about a smart change and updating to SEQRA.”
No one applauded the announcement, and several legislators whispered energetically as the governor described her proposal.
The proposal continues Hochul’s shift away from existing environmental laws.
The Democratic governor is facing criticism from progressives over her recent rollbacks of environmental policies. A small group of climate activists protested outside the theater Tuesday.
“She has actually stalled and backpedaled and pushed us in the wrong direction away from following the climate law and approved fossil fuel infrastructure expansion and pipelines,” said Sierra Club Susquehanna Group chair Valdi Wiederpass.
State Sen. Jeremy Cooney, a Democrat from Rochester, said Hochul will need to make sure her proposals are felt around the state — not just in New York City. And they need to have a quick impact, he added, especially in an election year.
“It's really about, 'What did you do for me lately?'” He said. “Big ideas are, you know, exciting and interesting, but did it actually come down to actually making someone's life a little bit better?”
This story has been updated with additional reporting.
