NYC Comptroller Lander Outlines Risks of Trump Presidency to New York City

 

New report analyzes threats to the city’s budget, economy, infrastructure, and people

Comptroller Lander also convened a roundtable of civic, business, labor, religious, and community leaders to discuss how to best prepare to protect New York City and New Yorkers

The election of Donald Trump poses significant threats to New York City’s budget, economy, infrastructure, and people, according to a new report from the New York City Comptroller’s office, Protecting New York City. The report analyzes actions during Trump’s first term as president, his 2024 campaign, and the Project 2025 blueprint to identify the most acute potential threats posed to New York City and inform conversations about how to prepare for them. 

“Donald Trump’s presidency presents grave risks for New York City – from defunding education, housing, healthcare, and transit, to an inflation-spike caused by tariffs, to the mass deportation of hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers,” said New York City Comptroller Brad Lander. “Protecting New York City provides a clear-eyed view of those threats, so that New Yorkers can prepare to face them together.” 

The report finds that potential federal budget cuts, like those proposed during Trump’s first term and during his campaign, could cause significant harm for New York City’s public schools, hospitals, housing, and childcare. Trump’s proposed economic policies would likely cause a large spike in inflation and reduce housing production. The potential elimination or reduction of infrastructure and climate investments could halt key transit and resiliency projects. Many New Yorkers—including immigrants, LGBTQ+, those who need abortion care, and workers seeking to organize unions—would see rollbacks to their civil rights that jeopardize their lives and safety.       

Coinciding with the release of the report, Comptroller Lander led a roundtable of civic, business, labor, religious, and community leaders to discuss how to best prepare to protect New York City and New Yorkers who may be targeted by the policies of the incoming Trump Administration. 

Comptroller Lander continued, “New Yorkers have faced many threats and crises in the past, and we do it best by coming together across communities. The cross-sector group of leaders who met this morning represent New Yorkers in business, labor, service, advocacy, community, and faith, with many different points of view. What unites them is a love of New York City and a fierce desire to protect its people and its future.”   

New York City’s Budget 

• Federal Funding for City Operations & Individuals: New York City’s FY 2025 Adopted Budget includes $7.92 billion in federal grants, approximately 7% of the total budget, providing funding for critical services like cash assistance, education, housing, childcare, and other social services.  
• Public Education: New York City’s public schools, CUNY, and early childhood education programs receive $3.5 billion annually in federal funds. The Trump administration could reduce or eliminate that funding, redirect vouchers or Education Savings Accounts (ESAs), or subject the City to unacceptable conditions. 
• Funding for Housing & Homelessness: New York City relies on federal resources for affordable housing preservation and development, NYCHA, and programs to prevent homelessness including housing vouchers.  
• Public Hospitals: Project 2025 calls for restricting federal funds to public health care systems like Health and Hospitals (H+H), that perform abortions and provide gender-affirming care. H+H serves 1.2 million New Yorkers each year. 

Economic Impacts  

• Projected Impact of Trump’s Economic Policies: Likely economic policies regarding tariffs, immigration, and health care would cause higher prices and reduced labor supply, affecting New York City. Additional tax cuts may offset price increases, but will likely be targeted to higher-income earners. Changes to regulatory policies would also primarily benefit high-income filers and corporations and would increase the City’s tax revenues at least in the short run.  
• SALT Deduction: The removal of the SALT deduction cap would narrow the tax differential with other jurisdictions, particularly at the top of the income distribution and improve New York City’s competitiveness. 
• Impact on the City’s Housing Construction & Supply: In addition to the threats posed to federal funding to the City’s housing and homelessness programs, Trump’s campaign proposals threaten to further increase the sky-high cost of construction, worsen labor shortages, and further constrain new development and housing supply in New York City.
   

Infrastructure  

• Congestion Pricing: The most immediate and financially significant risk of a Trump Administration USDOT for New York City’s public transit system would likely be an effort to cancel the MTA’s pending congestion pricing program. Governor Hochul and the MTA should move immediately to implement the program prior to January 20, 2025 in order to put the program on the firmest possible legal footing. 
• Transportation & Infrastructure Funding: New York City depends extensively on federal funding for transportation (including public transit, where New York receives a dramatically outsized share) and infrastructure. 
• Climate Protection: Uncertainty surrounds the continued funding of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and reauthorization of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). New York City and State enshrined crucial climate goals through the passage of the Climate Mobilization Act (including LL97) and the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA), but federal funding is critical to those goals.
   

Protecting New York City’s Vulnerable Populations  

• Immigrant New Yorkers: Immigration is a core part of New York City’s history, population, identity and economic strength. Trump is promising “mass deportations,” which could tear families apart, hollow out communities throughout the city, devastate our economy, and violate New York City’s values as an immigrant city.  
• Access to Safe & Legal Abortion: Despite the passage of New York State Proposition 1, which puts protections for abortion care and against discrimination in the New York State Constitution, a Trump presidency threatens to significantly curtail access to safe and legal abortions through executive action including reductions in federal funding, restrictions on certain medications, and the advancement of federal laws that would criminalize the provision of care across state lines.  
• Gender-Affirming Care & Trans Rights: The Trump campaign promises to end taxpayer funding for gender affirming surgeries, seek to severely limit access to gender affirming care for transgender Americans, and roll back civil rights protections for transgender Americans, obtaining identification with correct gender, excluding sexual orientation or gender identity in sex discrimination laws, and prohibiting transgender children from sports teams.  
• Access to Health Care: While the most harmful policies proposed by Project 2025 will require congressional approval, such as the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), a second Trump Administration will likely bring policies that raise the costs of healthcare and reduce access to healthcare programs that serve millions of New Yorkers. 
• Workers’ Rights: The previous Trump Administration rolled back the ability of unions and workers to organize, scaled back federal enforcement of wage and safety standards, and implemented deregulation that left the U.S. more vulnerable to the ravages of the pandemic.  
• Fighting Discrimination & Advancing Racial Equity: Project 2025’s seeks to eliminate anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ Americans and target “critical race theory,” which in practice could leave the City’s racial equity work vulnerable to challenges. 

Read the NYC Comptroller’s report here. 

Roundtable participants included: 

Business 

• Dev Awasthi, REBNY 
• Sarah Brown (representing Julie Samuels), Tech:NYC  
• Ray McGuire, Lazard 
• Jamie Rubin, Aligned Climate Capital and NYCHA Chair 
• Elizabeth Velez, The Velez Organization 
• Kathy Wylde, Partnership for New York City 
• Megan Wylie (representing Carlo Scissura), NY Building Congress  

Labor 

• Vinny Alvarez, NYC Central Labor Council 
• Michelle Crentsil, New York State Nurses Association 
• Aaron Eisenberg, United Auto Workers 
• Sarah Leberstein, 32BJ SEIU 
• Helen Schaub, 1199 SEIU 

Human Services 

• Rana Abdelhamid, Malikah  
• Rich Buery, Robin Hood 
• Michelle Jackson, Human Services Council 
• Jennifer Jones Austin, Federation of Protestant Welfare Agencies (FPWA) 
• Susan Stamler, United Neighborhood Houses 

Advocacy 

• Robert Agyemang, New York Immigration Coalition 
• Eddie Bautista, NYC Environmental Justice Alliance 
• Jasmine Gripper, NY Working Families Organization 
• Donna Lieberman, NYCLU 
• Jose Lopez, Make the Road NY 
• Theo Moore, ALIGN 
• Dipal Shah, Planned Parenthood of Greater NY 
• Kim Sweet, Advocates for Children 

Faith 

• Rev. Chloe Breyer, Interfaith Center  
• Ashely Gonzalez (representing Bishop Matthew Heyd), Episcopal Diocese of New York 
• Rev. Emma Jordan Simpson, Auburn Seminary 
• Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum 

Government/Budget/Policy 

• Vicki Been, NYU Furman Center 
• Ingrid Gould Ellen, NYU Wagner Graduate School 
• Jacqueline Sherman, Independent Budget Office 
• Reggie Thomas, NYC Mayor’s Office 
• Jumaane Williams, Public Advocate

NYSOFA Highlights National Family Caregivers Month with Statewide Programs and Resources Available to Help Caregivers

 

New Care Badge Initiative to Recognize and Celebrate the Special Skills of Caregivers  Available Online

The New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) recognizes November as National Family Caregivers Month. If you routinely provide unpaid help to a friend or family member, then you are a caregiver. This can include many activities: household tasks, transportation help, assisting with medical or self-care needs, and more. NYSOFA offers caregiver programs for individuals of all ages who provide unpaid caring for someone else, including many digital resources and supports.

In New York State every year, more than 4 million caregivers are providing more than $39 billion in direct and indirect care to assist a relative, friend, or neighbor regardless of age. Understandably, caregiving can take a toll on a caregiver’s physical and mental health. The ARCHANGELS Caregiver Intensity Index (CII) is being used statewide by Area Agencies on Aging for caregiver assessments, revealing the many drivers of caregiving intensity, such as family disagreements and financial stress, among other factors. According to CII data, nearly 30% of caregivers are "in the red," meaning they are experiencing the most severe caregiving burden or are in crisis.

Further, NYSOFA and the Association on Aging in New York (AgingNY) have partnered with the nation's leading caregiver education and training platform, Trualta, to offer New York residents the New York State Caregiver Portal. Thousands of New York caregivers have taken lessons or attended support groups through the Caregiver Portal, with 97% reporting they gained new skills.

New York State Office for the Aging Director Greg Olsen said, “Family, friends and neighbors are unsung heroes who all too often do not get the recognition they deserve for providing care to a loved one day in and day out. NYSOFA, through our partnerships, is committed to helping caregivers recognize their importance and provide help, including in-person supports as well as tools to relieve caregiver stress, find resources, learn evidence-based best-practices, and feel empowered. Working with local organizations as well as leading national programs and initiatives, we’re unwavering in our support of caregivers and the people who rely upon them.”

AgingNY Executive Director Becky Preve said, “Caregivers dedicate immense time and talent to friends, families, and neighbors all across the state and the nation. The Association on Aging is proud to support and promote the amazing resources available for all caregivers in their caregiving journey. These supports display our unwavering support for caregivers, as they are vastly unrecognized for the amazing contributions that they provide.” 

ARCHANGELS Co-Founder and CEO Alexandra Drane said, “Think you’re a caregiver? Most don’t. But over 40% of us are. And we’re not only showing up in all the important ways – over 30% of us are ‘in the red.’ Employers are paying attention, health systems are wanting to help, and communities are in the thick of it. Our partnership with New York State has proven there is a way to find and support this population – not just because they’re there and could use it, but because NYSOFA has invested so tremendously in things that can actually be of service, like getting your caregiver intensity score, getting your Care Badge, and getting to resources.”

Trualta Founder & CEO Jonathan Davis said, “We are thrilled to partner with NYSOFA and AgingNY to help family caregivers across New York as they navigate challenging care situations, learn new skills, and connect with other caregivers. We know that New York caregivers are stressed and likely to burn out without proper support, and we are honored to be part of the state’s incredible commitment to making caregiver training and support groups available at no charge to all New Yorkers at newyork-caregivers.com.” 

Self-Identifying as a Caregiver

More than half of unpaid caregivers do not even self-identify as caregivers. These are family members, friends or neighbors who provide uncompensated care and support to someone else, such as a spouse, an older parent, children, or someone with chronic or other medical conditions.

To help caregivers self-identify, NYSOFA has developed a Caregivers Guide Video that summarizes the many services and supports available to caregivers in New York State.

Aging Services Programs to Help Caregivers

Area Agencies on Aging in New York State deliver more than 20 core services to help older adults age in place. These programs help caregivers by meeting older adults’ social, assistive, and other community-based needs, thus relieving caregiver intensity. These services and supports include transportation, nutrition programs (home-delivered and congregate) meals, personal care, legal services, social programs (including friendly calls or visiting programs), and more. To learn more about these programs, visit NYSOFA’s website or contact NY Connects at 1-800-342-9871. NYSOFA and the aging services network also provide supports directly to caregivers, such as respite programs.

New Care Badge Initiative

NYSOFA has joined the national Care Badge initiative, which is powered by ARCHANGELS and The Joint Commission, to recognize the people providing care. The Care Badge is a visual marker that individuals can download, supporting and reinforcing the skills associated with caring and helping to build national recognition of what it means to care. Getting a badge takes four minutes — watching two short videos full of tips and resources — and the badge can be displayed on professional networking platforms like LinkedIn, resumes, social media, or elsewhere. Visit https://www.thecarebadge.com/.

Digital Tools for Caregivers

NYSOFA has partnered with leading organizations that support caregivers to provide several innovative digital tools available at no charge for any caregiver in New York State.

• Any Care Counts NY and the Caregiver Intensity Index: NYSOFA has partnered with ARCHANGELS and AgingNY to launch the Any Care Counts NY (ACC-NY) Campaign across the state. ARCHANGELS is a women-owned, omni-channel platform working to make change happen for unpaid caregivers across the nation. ARCHANGELS works with states, employers, brands, health systems, and local organizations to create impact for unpaid caregivers and their communities. As part of the platform, the ARCHANGELS Caregiver Intensity Index (CII) provides each caregiver with a score, validates their experience, and navigates them to resources offered by New York State. Caregivers not only get support in the moment, but insights are captured that support policy and advocacy efforts. The ACC-NY Campaign has reached 1.5 million New Yorkers, with thousands of unpaid caregivers finding their Intensity Score through the CII and over 25% exploring resources such as New York’s Caregiver Portal and NY Connects. Of those who have gotten their Intensity Score in New York, 30% are in the "red," experiencing the highest levels of intensity. Learn more about Any Care Counts NY and get your score here.

• New York’s Caregiver Portal, powered by Trualta: NYSOFA offers a New York Caregiver Portal that is available free of charge to any of the 4.1 million people who provide unpaid care to another individual. This evidence-based caregiver training and support platform, powered by Trualta, helps families build skills to manage care at home for loved ones of any age. It also connects to local resources and support services by delivering personalized education, training, and information links. Once registered, caregivers can select personalized training and track their progress on topics like self-care, stroke recovery, dementia care, medication management, and more. Users can log-in from any computer, tablet, or smartphone. The Caregiver Portal now has support groups and webinars available in Spanish.  

Working Caregiver Initiative

NYSOFA, the New York State Department of Labor (NYSDOL), and partner agencies have launched a Working Caregivers Initiative to address the unique stresses experienced by individuals who are balancing work with a caregiving role for family, friends, or neighbors.

As part of this initiative to raise awareness and support working caregivers, NYSOFA asks New Yorkers to complete a statewide survey to assess specific challenges faced by individuals in this role. NYSOFA and NYSDOL also offer a Caregivers in the Workplace Guide offering tips and resources for employers to help support working caregivers.

MAYOR ADAMS, INTERIM POLICE COMMISSIONER DONLON ANNOUNCE ‘DRONE AS FIRST RESPONDER’ PROGRAM TO REDUCE RESPONSE TIMES AND KEEP NEW YORKERS SAFE

 

Department’s First 24/7 Formalized Drone Unit Will Immediately Deploy Aerial Autonomous Vehicles to Incident Locations and Provide Critical Information to On-the-Ground Response Teams 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Police Department (NYPD) Interim Commissioner Tom Donlon today announced the “Drone as First Responder” (DFR) program, which leverages the latest in aerial autonomous vehicle technology to enhance the NYPD’s emergency-response capabilities as the agency fulfills its mission to keep New Yorkers safe. The DFR program is now operational in five commands in three boroughs, marking a successful expansion of the NYPD’s unmanned aircraft systems initiative. 

  

Located at the 67th, 71st, and 75th police precincts in Brooklyn; the 48th Police Precinct in the Bronx; and the Central Park Precinct in Manhattan, the 10 newest drones — two per command — will be deployed remotely and fly autonomously to the exact longitude and latitude of select priority public safety calls, including searches for missing people, alerts from the ShotSpotter gunshot detection system, incidents of robberies and grand larcenies, and other crimes in progress as needed. The rapid deployment of DFR drones based at station houses supplements the NYPD’s in-person patrol response to 911 calls by supplying high-definition audio and video that is accessible, in real time, on officers and supervisors’ department-issued smartphones. 

  

“New York City is flying into the future as we keep New Yorkers safe,” said Mayor Adams. “While the ‘Drone as First Responder’ program is what precision policing in the 21st century looks like, drone potential is really just taking off. We are leveraging the latest technology to enhance the NYPD’s emergency-response capabilities, remotely sending drones to the exact longitude and latitude of where an emergency call comes and sometimes in as little as a minute. These drones will mean more efficient policing and will help increase the safety of our responding NYPD officers and New Yorkers.”   

  

“When New Yorkers need help, our first responders are always there as quickly as possible to ensure their safety,” said Deputy Mayor for Public Safety Chauncey Parker. “This program adds a powerful tool to our toolkit, enabling police to respond faster and with more accurate information. By using technology to improve efficiency and services, we’re helping those who protect us do their jobs better when every second counts and we’re making our communities even more safe.” 

  

“We are at the forefront of these exciting innovations today, and we must always keep seeking out the benefits of new and improving technology,” said NYPD Interim Commissioner Donlon. “Our DFR program is part of this evolution. It enables our highly trained officers to be even more responsive to the people we serve, and to carry out the NYPD’s critical work in ways that are increasingly effective, efficient, and safe for everyone.” 

  

The DFR initiative is one aspect of the NYPD’s larger drone program that, since late-2018, has deployed drones directly from the hands of on-site operators to perform various tasks: recreating floor plans with 360-degree views and searching collapsed structures, facilitating two-way communication with barricaded individuals, tracking fleeing crime suspects, documenting collision and crime scenes, conducting evidence searches, assisting with warrant executions, helping to effect rescues during storms, and monitoring shark activity off city beaches. NYPD drones were also used to inspect the structural integrity of buildings and bridges following the region’s 4.8-magnitude earthquake earlier this year. Additionally, the technology can potentially be used to drop flotation devices to swimmers in distress and deliver vital first-aid equipment — such as automated external defibrillators, tourniquets, and naloxone (a nasal spray that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose) — to bystanders at emergency scenes. 

  

The key aspects of the NYPD’s DFR program are:   

•    Rapid deployment — Drones are quickly dispatched to incident locations, reaching many areas faster than emergency vehicles on the street and officers on foot. 

•   Enhanced situational awareness — Live video provides early awareness of potential threats to law enforcement personnel. Comprehensive aerial views also allow first responders to assess crime scenes, measure crowd sizes, and strategize how to best manage vehicle and pedestrian traffic situations. 

•   Improved first responder safety — By identifying potential hazards before officers arrive on scenes, safety is exponentially increased for first responders and the public. 

•   New search-and-rescue capabilities — Drones equipped with night-vision and thermal-imaging cameras can greatly assist in locating missing people or criminal suspects, especially across challenging terrain or in low-light conditions. 

•   Evidence collection — High-resolution cameras can capture detailed imagery for the purposes of investigation and documentation. 

•   Hazardous material incidents — Drones can be used to assess potentially dangerous situations without putting human first responders at immediate, undue risk. 

•   Natural disaster response — In the aftermath of hurricanes, floods, or earthquakes, drones can quickly survey large areas to prioritize response efforts. 

•   Transparency — Footage from drones can provide clear, objective evidence of actions taken during incidents and events. 

•   Cost-effectiveness — Drones are significantly less expensive to operate than helicopters, which can be prioritized for other emergency responses. 

  

Every DFR flight is commanded and monitored by an NYPD officer certified as a drone pilot by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). DFR pilots are situated at the Joint Operations Center at police headquarters in lower Manhattan or at one of the department’s off-site Technical Assistance and Response Unit (TARU) stations. Pilots remotely control the drones on a computer screen that displays a live feed, enabling them to make initial scene assessments and quickly broadcast over police radios detailed descriptions of suspects and other timely information considered valuable to central dispatchers and arriving patrol officers. Each DFR mission is additionally monitored in real time by a member of the NYPD’s Legal Bureau. 

  

With the launch of the DFR program, the NYPD now has 100 drones of various sizes and capabilities, and more than 110 FAA-qualified drone operators. NYPD drones have been dispatched on more than 4,000 missions in the past year, including approximately 2,300 priority calls for service. Recorded footage is deleted after 30 days, unless it is to be used to investigate a crime, captures an arrest, or other evidence that must be preserved to assist in a prosecution. 

  

“This is now part of our crime-fighting apparatus, and it is truly a game changer,” said NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Operations Kaz Daughtry. “It is an exciting approach to emergency response that increases our operational efficiency while making everyone much safer. These strategic advantages are the future of policing in New York City and the nation.” 

  

“The ‘Drone as First Responder’ program is an important step in enhancing public safety in our parks, ensuring that all New Yorkers feel secure while enjoying our green spaces,” said New York City Department of Parks and Recreation Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “This innovation not only strengthens our emergency response capabilities, but also enriches the overall park experience, allowing families to focus on what truly matters — creating lasting memories at one of the most famed parks across the world.”