Overview
- Meeting in Manhattan on Thursday, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani discussed affordability, public safety and preparations for potential ICE or National Guard surges, with the mayor-elect’s team set to join ongoing state preparedness sessions.
- Both teams said New York is safe and a federal surge would not improve public safety, and they reviewed steps to shield key programs if Washington cuts funding to the city or state.
- Hochul and Mamdani advanced work on a path to universal child care by tasking senior staff to develop proposals building on existing infrastructure, with major investments targeted for the fiscal year 2027 budget cycle; specific costs and funding mechanisms remain to be detailed and would require state approval.
- Mamdani has consulted Democratic governors Wes Moore, JB Pritzker and Josh Shapiro for guidance on governing and responding to President Trump’s threats, including experiences with resisting federal deployments and lessons on affordability and permitting.
- Context for the planning includes Trump’s repeated threats to cut funds and increase federal enforcement in New York, though no specific new deployments have been announced, as well as the mayor-elect’s broader transition steps such as a planned meeting with NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and staffing his transition team.