US Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand issued a dire warning on Friday that it will be impossible for New York State to backfill tens of billions of dollars in federal funding that President Trump is proposing to cut from its budget — with the April 1 deadline for passing the state spending plan fast approaching.
Gillibrand, who made the comments during a March 28 news conference sounding the alarm about Trump downsizing the Social Security Administration, insisted there is simply no way for the state to plug the massive hole the president’s looming cuts would leave.
Exactly how much and what kind of federal funding the state could lose is still unclear, as the Republican majorities in both chambers of Congress continue to hash out a spending package. The state is also likely to feel the effects of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency slashing staff and resources at agencies like Social Security, the US Department of Health and Human Services, and the US Department of Education.
No matter what the cuts ultimately look like, Gillibrand said New Yorkers are “going to suffer” and that there is “not enough money in the world” to make up for the federal dollars that could yanked from the state.
“So much of your money goes to Washington, that’s supposed to come [back] here to pay for all social services,” Gillibrand said. “That’s the way government is set up. It’s not possible to Trump proof our state budget.”
The senator said there is little Democrats like herself can do to stop Trump, given that they are in the minority in both chambers of Congress. She also took aim at Congressional Republicans for going along with Trump’s funding cuts.
“Their adherence and loyalty to one man, President Trump, is at odds with their responsibility to their constituents,” Gillibrand said.
Gov. Kathy Hochul has expressed similar sentiments in recent days, also putting the onus on Congressional Republicans.
“Here’s the sad truth: there is no State in the nation that has the resources to backfill these sweeping cuts,” Hochul said in a statement this week. “It’s up to New York’s elected officials who serve in the House majority to stand up and fight back.”
The governor proposes a state budget each year anticipating tens of billions of federal dollars to fund critical government services and functions such as Medicaid, public schools, and law enforcement.
The current over $237 billion state budget, which expires on Tuesday, includes $96 billion in federal aid — making up 40% of the spending plan. Federal account for roughly the same percentage of Hochul’s proposed $252 billion budget for the coming fiscal year.
While Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie on Thursday also expressed concerns about federal cuts, he said the budget process is also at an impasse because of disagreements between legislative leaders and the governor over several policy matters. Those include rollbacks Hochul is pushing to the state’s discovery laws, which were modified in 2020, and expanding New York City’s authority to involuntarily hospitalize the severely mentally ill.
“Things are kind of, kind of at a standstill,” he told reporters. “We’re going to pass this debt service bill and the members will go home, do work in their districts and we’ll pick it back up next week.”
Heastie’s comments indicate there likely will not be a budget deal by the April 1 deadline.
