Overview
- State lawmakers reconvene this week with child care on the agenda after Gov. Kathy Hochul endorsed Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s push and signaled continued statewide subsidy expansion.
- Hochul plans to unveil specifics later this month in her State of the State and a roughly $250 billion budget, setting key parameters for timing and implementation.
- Mamdani pegs a universal New York City program at about $6 billion annually, while advocates estimate a statewide version at $12 billion to $15 billion, compared with the current $2.2 billion voucher program that fails to meet demand.
- Funding proposals diverge as Mamdani presses for higher income taxes on top earners and Hochul rules out income‑tax hikes but leaves the door open to other levies such as a corporate tax increase.
- Fraud and accountability concerns have intensified after reporting on allegedly fake Minnesota child‑care centers and an FBI‑confirmed probe, prompting calls for strict auditing and enforcement in any New York expansion.