MAYOR ADAMS CELEBRATES ANOTHER RECORD-BREAKING YEAR OF SUPPORTING MINORITY- AND WOMEN-OWNED BUSINESSES

 

City Awarded $6.9 Billion in Total M/WBE Contracts During Fiscal Year 2025  

 

 City Agencies Utilized M/WBEs at Highest Rate Ever in Fiscal Year 2025,  Breaking Record Set in Fiscal Year 2024  

  

Highest Total Contract Amount Awarded to M/WBEs in Program’s History 

New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Chief Business Diversity Officer Michael J. Garner, Mayor’s Office of Contract Services (MOCS) Director Kim Yu, and New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Dynishal Gross today celebrated a citywide effort to deliver yet another record-breaking year for contracting with, and supporting, minority- and women-owned business enterprises (M/WBE). The Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 outcomes follow back-to-back record-breaking years of success for the city’s M/WBE program.   

 

In FY 2025, the city awarded $6.9 billion in M/WBE contracts to New Yorkers, which puts it on pace to surpass Mayor Adams’s OneNYC proposal of $25 billion in M/WBE city contracts by FY 2026 — a full six months ahead of schedule. Under Local Law 1 (LL1), which governs the city’s M/WBE program, the utilization rate was 36.4 percent — the highest ever in the program’s history and eclipsing the record set in FY 2024 by more than 5 percent. The city also set a record-high in total contract value awarded to M/WBEs under LL1 at $2.2 billion — the first time the city has surpassed $2 billion in LL1 M/WBE contract awards. Additionally, more contracting dollars than ever were awarded to M/WBEs under the city’s M/WBE Small Purchase method in FY 2025 — a contracting method that streamlines processes to more efficiently contract with M/WBEs — representing a total of nearly $350 million which effectively doubled the amount awarded with this method in FY 2023.  

 

“When we came into office, we were clear that much more needed to be done to lift up our minority and women-owned businesses, which, for too long, were left behind in city contracting,” said Mayor Adams. “Today, we are proud to announce, yet another historic milestone with a record $6.9 billion in contracts awarded to M/WBEs last fiscal year and a record 36.4 percent utilization rate for M/WBEs — the highest-ever in the history of the program. This, once again, demonstrates how our administration is investing money where it sees value by making smart, targeted investments that help make our city government more accessible and equitable to all. I thank Chief Garner, Commissioner Gross, and Director Yu for the work they are doing to impact lives every day and improve city services in the process.” 

“The City of New York has demonstrated with effective leadership that it’s possible to award government contracts in a more inclusive manner,” said Chief Business Diversity Officer Garner. “With more than $24 billion awarded to certified minority-and women-owned businesses during the Adams administration, we continue to drive equity within communities of color who have historically been excluded. Awarded government contracts equals job creation, homeownership for those respective business owners, and better educational and health care opportunities for their families.” 

 

“SBS is proud to contribute to yet another record-breaking year for M/WBEs in New York City,” said SBS Commissioner Gross. “From helping to certify M/WBEs to programs like the Contract Financing Loan Fund and business education, together with our partner agencies, we are working to unlock the economic potential of small businesses that power our city across the five boroughs.” 

 

“We take pride in the strong agency partnerships we've established in our commitment to revolutionizing the contracting process in New York City,” said New York City Chief Procurement Officer and Director of the New York City Mayor’s Office of Contract Services (MOCS) Kim Yu. “MOCS aims to ensure that every dollar spent on contracts contributes to inclusive economic growth. By moving away from outdated perspectives and practices, we focus on developing systems, policies, and collaborations that eliminate barriers and provide tangible, sustainable access for our M/WBEs. We will continue our efforts for more transparency, efficiency, and accessibility of our city’s contracting processes, making it possible for more M/WBEs to succeed.” 

 

The Adams administration has a proven track record of investing in the success and growth of M/WBEs. Mayor Adams appointed Michael Garner as the city's first-ever chief business diversity officer to address historic disparities in city contracting and provide minority- and women-entrepreneurs increased opportunities to do business with New York City. Additionally, Mayor Adams signed Executive Order 34, ensuring that each city agency has a senior staff member empowered to prioritize M/WBE programming; standardize data collection from city-affiliated entities that will help facilitate the city’s full, real-time M/WBE performance outcome tracking; create more contracting opportunities for M/WBEs wherever practicable. 

 

Finally, the city continues to leverage the Mayor Adams’ M/WBE Advisory Council’s network of M/WBE advocates and sector leaders.  

Attorney General James Wins Court Order Protecting Critical Funding to Fight Homelessness

 

New York Attorney General Letitia James today won a court order stopping the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) from implementing new conditions that would have eliminated access to critical funds that provide housing and other services through the Continuum of Care (CoC) program. This program delivers funding to local and regional coalitions that provide housing and services for individuals and families experiencing homelessness, particularly those most vulnerable to homelessness, such as veterans, those with disabilities, and transgender individuals. In November, Attorney General James led a coalition of 18 other attorneys general and the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania in suing the Trump administration to protect more than $3 billion in CoC funds that were jeopardized by the illegal new conditions imposed by HUD. Today, the United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island granted the coalition’s motion for a preliminary injunction, barring HUD from implementing its new conditions on CoC funds.  

“Continuum of Care funds help keep tens of thousands of people in their homes and provide essential services to the most vulnerable, including families and veterans,” said Attorney General James. “This administration’s efforts to undermine this vital program are illegal, and today we put a stop to them. I will keep fighting to protect these vital resources that our communities depend on to house those in need.” 

In New York, 24 different regional CoCs receive over $320 million to provide housing and other services throughout the state. 94 percent of these funds are dedicated to permanent housing, supporting 13,861 households statewide. In November, the Trump administration imposed new and illegal conditions on CoC grants that jeopardize the critical services these regional coalitions provide. The administration imposed a cap on the amount of CoC funds that can support permanent supportive housing. If enacted, this cap would slash CoC funds for permanent supportive housing by two-thirds and could put an estimated 170,000 people at imminent risk of losing their homes. 

HUD also imposed other conditions, barring CoC funds from organizations that acknowledge the existence of transgender or nonbinary individuals and excluding programs that provide services for mental disabilities. Attorney General James and the coalition argued in their lawsuit that these conditions violate the Administrative Procedure Act and Congress’ constitutional power to control spending.  

In a ruling today, the District of Rhode Island granted the coalition’s motion for a preliminary injunction, barring HUD from implementing its unlawful limits on CoC funds. 

Joining Attorney General James in filing this lawsuit are the attorneys general of Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and the District of Columbia, as well as the governors of Kentucky and Pennsylvania. 

Members of Dangerous Human Smuggling Organization Extradited from Colombia

 

Two Colombian nationals made their initial appearance in court in El Paso, Texas yesterday after being extradited from Colombia to face charges relating to their roles in a dangerous human smuggling conspiracy that left 40 aliens and two boat captains missing.

In October 2024, a federal grand jury in the Western District of Texas returned an indictment against Hernando Manuel De La Cruz Rivera Orjuela, also known as Hernan, also known as Manuel, also known as El Patron, 53, and Luis Enrique Linero Pinto, aka El Calvo, 41, of Colombia for conspiring to encourage and induce aliens to come to, enter, and reside in the United States placing lives in jeopardy and in violation of immigration laws of the United States.

“These defendants are alleged to have operated a sophisticated human smuggling operation that resulted in the disappearance of 42 people at sea,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew R. Galeotti of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “Human smuggling is a dangerous, predatory enterprise that exploits vulnerable migrants for profit. The Criminal Division will continue to aggressively dismantle these criminal networks that profit from human suffering and threaten the security of our border.”

“There is no limit as to the lengths we will go to bring to justice those who would smuggle humans into the United States,” said U.S. Attorney Justin R. Simmons for the Western District of Texas. “Taking down human smuggling operations, like this one, deals a direct blow to the transnational criminal organizations that receive millions of dollars from these operations. Therefore, prosecuting these kinds of cases is key to accomplishing of our mission to eradicate Mexican drug cartels and other transnational criminal organizations that use this country as a direct and indirect means to enrich themselves. Thank you to all of our law enforcement partners and members of Joint Task Force Alpha who stand shoulder to shoulder with us in this worthwhile effort.”

Rivera Orjuela and Linero Pinto were arrested in Colombia in December 2024 at the request of the United States. Their extraditions followed extensive coordination and cooperation between U.S. and Colombian law enforcement authorities.

According to the indictment, the defendants participated in a conspiracy where they were directly and personally responsible for unlawfully smuggling aliens, transporting them from other locations to San Andres Island, Colombia, and from there to Nicaragua via boats, north through Central America and Mexico, before reaching their final destination in the United States. Allegedly, Rivera Orjuela and Linero Pinto advised the migrants how to get to San Andres Island, personally received them once they arrived on the island, arranged for their accommodation, and brought them to the boats that transported them to Nicaragua so they could enter the United States illegally. Linero Pinto is alleged to have bribed uniformed service members of the Colombian Navy to acquire real-time intelligence about the position of Navy patrol vessels located between San Andres Island and Nicaragua, enabling the boats carrying migrants to avoid detection. On Oct. 21, 2023, a boat carrying approximately 40 aliens and two boat captains disappeared on its way to Nicaragua after leaving San Andreas Island. The defendants were allegedly responsible for smuggling the aliens on that boat who were en route to the United States.

HSI led the investigation, with assistance from their McAllen, El Paso, and Cartagena Field Offices. HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C., U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP)’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force, and the Justice Department’s Office of Overseas Prosecutorial Development, Assistance and Training (OPDAT); Office of International Affairs; and the Justice Department’s Judicial Attaché Office in Bogotá provided valuable assistance. The Justice Department thanks Colombian law enforcement officials, who were instrumental in furthering this investigation.

The investigation and indictment were coordinated and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere.

Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorney-detailees from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including ICE/ HSI and CBP/BP and OFO, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 425 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 375 U.S. convictions; more than 325 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets. The extraditions of Rivera Orjuela and Linero Pinto are the first extraditions from Colombia resulting from JTFA’s work since the taskforce’s mission expanded to target human smuggling and trafficking groups operating in Colombia.

Trial Attorneys Danielle Hickman of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Daria Andryushchenko of the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jose Luis Acosta for the Western District of Texas are prosecuting the case. The Criminal Division’s Office of International Affairs Acting Associate Director Jesse Ormsby and the Justice Department’s Judicial Attaché in Bogotá, Kristopher Jarvis, provided significant assistance with the extradition.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

$8.39 Million Settlement With College Relating To Improper Receipt Of Paycheck Protection Program Loan

 

Marymount Manhattan College Admits That It Was Ineligible to Receive Paycheck Protection Program Loan

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jay Clayton, and Special Agent in Charge of the Eastern Regional Office of the U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Inspector General (“SBA-OIG”), Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, announced today that MARYMOUNT MANHATTAN COLLEGE (“MMC”) has agreed to pay $8,392,758.43 to resolve allegations that it violated the False Claims Act by falsely certifying that it was eligible for a Paycheck Protection Program (“PPP”) loan.  Under the settlement approved by U.S. District Judge J. Paul Oetken, MMC has admitted and accepted responsibility for conduct alleged in the Government’s Complaint, including that it was ineligible to receive the PPP loan due to the total number of individuals it employed. 

The PPP, administered by the SBA, was created to assist small businesses nationwide adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Nonprofit 501(c)(3) organizations such as MMC were deemed eligible for PPP loans if they met certain requirements.  For example, when MMC applied in May 2020, 501(c)(3) organizations (like for-profit businesses) were generally required to have 500 or fewer employees.  MMC exceeded this size eligibility requirement.  The American Rescue Plan Act, enacted in March 2021, modified the size eligibility standard for 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations to require that they have no more than 500 employees per physical location.   

“The Paycheck Protection Program was established to ease financial and economic strain caused by the pandemic by providing businesses with forgivable loans,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton.  “But too many applicants applied for and received taxpayer money that they had no right to receive.  Our Office remains dedicated to holding those who improperly claim public funds accountable.” 

“Entities that misrepresented their eligibility to obtain funds from SBA programs intended to support small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic undermined the integrity of these critical relief efforts,” said SBA-OIG Special Agent in Charge Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite.  “The SBA Office of Inspector General remains committed to identifying and addressing fraud within SBA programs and will continue to work closely with our law enforcement partners to hold accountable those who exploit these programs.”

As alleged in the Complaint filed in Manhattan federal court:

On or about May 7, 2020, MMC submitted, through its authorized representative, an application for a PPP loan to a financial institution.  MMC was approved for and received a PPP loan in the amount of $6,555,592.00.  In June 2021, MMC, through its authorized representative, applied for forgiveness of most of the PPP loan, and $6,197,696.64 of the PPP loan amount was ultimately forgiven.

MMC indicated on its PPP loan application that it had an average of 482 full-time equivalent employees each month.  MMC also certified, among other things, that it was eligible to receive the loan.

MMC submitted an appendix with its loan application that included audited financial statements (balance sheets, statements of activities, statements of cash flows, and notes to financial statements), tax returns and related schedules, and payroll records.  Within this lengthy appendix, there was a table reflecting that MMC’s full-time and part-time employees exceeded 500 for each month during 2019.  The appendix did not list the location at which the employees worked.

MMC actually employed well over 500 full-time and part-time employees at the time it submitted its loan application.  Further, it had more than 800 full-time and part-time employees for each month in 2019, including those months within the period relevant for determining PPP eligibility.

Under applicable law and regulations, full-time and part-time employees were counted equally for purposes of determining PPP loan eligibility.  The 482-employee total listed on the PPP loan application improperly counted MMC’s part-time employees as one-third of an employee.

When it applied for PPP loan forgiveness in June 2021, MMC misrepresented in its application that it had only 447 employees at the time of its PPP loan application.

MMC violated the False Claims Act by knowingly presenting and making, or causing to be presented and made, false claims and statements in connection with its submission of its PPP loan application and forgiveness application.  Specifically, MMC falsely certified its eligibility for the PPP loan because MMC employed more than 500 employees (in total and at a single location) and was thus ineligible for the loan it received.

In connection with the filing of the lawsuit and settlement, the Government joined a private whistleblower lawsuit that had been filed under seal pursuant to the False Claims Act.

Mr. Clayton praised the SBA’s Office of General Counsel for its assistance with this case.

Governor Hochul Announces More Than $453 Million in Grants to Make Local Water Infrastructure Improvements Affordable Statewide

Enhanced Awards for Sewer Projects in Small, Rural, and Disadvantaged Communities, and Drinking Water Projects that Address Emerging Contaminants

Projected To Save Local Ratepayers an Estimated $1.1 Billion and Create 20,000 Jobs Across the State

Governor Kathy Hochul today announced that $453 million is being awarded to 83 water infrastructure projects across New York State through the Water Infrastructure Improvement and Intermunicipal Water Infrastructure Grant programs. The grants deliver on the Governor’s clean water and affordability agendas and reinforce the State’s commitment to helping small, rural, and disadvantaged communities with their water infrastructure needs. By providing critical financial relief to local governments across New York, Governor Hochul is accelerating projects that protect public health and the environment, strengthen community resilience, and create good-paying jobs, ensuring that New Yorkers have access to safe, clean water.

“New York families should not be burdened by rising water bills and outdated systems,” Governor Hochul said. “With this funding, the State is helping communities take on essential projects without passing unsustainable costs to residents and businesses. These investments will protect public health, support local economies, and help ensure reliable, safe water for years to come.”

The complete list of WIIA and IMG awardees by region, including an interactive map, is available on EFC’s website. 

These grants will support over $1.3 billion in water infrastructure upgrades that will protect drinking water from emerging contaminants, modernize aging water and sewer systems, strengthen resilience, regionalize services, and support economic development.  The funding announced today is projected to save local ratepayers an estimated $1.1 billion and create 20,000 jobs across the State. 

The announcement was made in Albany County, where a $25 million grant will boost the County’s effort to modernize its 1970s-era North and South Treatment Plants. These upgrades will help ensure reliable wastewater treatment services for the eight communities served by the Albany County Water Purification District and improve water quality in the Hudson River.

Statewide Impact for System Upgrades

The grants announced today include $227.3 million for 51 drinking water projects and $225.8 million for 32 sewer projects, from Western New York to Long Island. The funding reflects Governor Hochul’s comprehensive strategy of maximizing benefits for communities that have long faced financial and capacity barriers. The New York State Environmental Facilities Corporation (EFC) administers the WIIA and IMG programs in coordination with the New York State Department of Health (DOH), and New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC). With today’s announcement, the State has awarded more than $3.4 billion in WIIA and IMG grants since 2015.

Enhanced Awards for Sewer Projects in Small, Rural, and Disadvantaged Communities

Even with extensive financial support from the State, some municipalities are left passing a large financial burden to their ratepayers. To alleviate this burden on small, rural, and disadvantaged communities, Governor Hochul increased grants for these communities from 25 percent to 50 percent of net eligible project costs. Enhanced awards in this round include:

• Village of Bloomingburg (Mid-Hudson), $2.4 million for a wastewater treatment plant headworks upgrade to improve the performance of the plant and bring it into compliance with the environmental regulations.
• Cayuga County Water and Sewer Authority (Central NY), $16.5 million for the construction of the Cayuga Lake Sewer District No. 3 to serve unsewered areas in the Town of Ledyard and Genoa, along with upgrades at the Village of Aurora Wastewater Treatment Plant.
• Chautauqua County South and Center (Western NY), $16.8 million for the Chautauqua Lake Sewer District Phase 3 Extension. This project will extend public sanitary sewers along the northeastern shore of Chautauqua Lake to serve properties with failing on-site septic systems.
• Village of Corinth (Capital Region), $730,750 to extend sanitary sewers along Hill Avenue to eliminate failing on-site septic systems and replace aging sewer infrastructure on Heath Street.
• Village of Delevan (Western NY), $7.4 million for the construction of a public sanitary sewer collection system to eliminate failing on-site septic systems. Wastewater treatment will take place at the Village of Arcade Wastewater Treatment Plant.
• Village of Evans Mills (North Country), $4.9 million for upgrades to the wastewater treatment plant, including the installation of a new ultraviolet disinfection system to enhance treatment and meet environmental regulations.
• Village of Freeville (Southern Tier), $4.8 million for wastewater treatment plant improvements to bring the plant into compliance with the discharge permit.
• Town of Herkimer (Mohawk Valley), $2.2 million for construction of the East Herkimer Sewer District to provide public sanitary sewers that will replace failing on-site septic systems.
• Town of Pamelia (North Country), $5.7 million for the construction of a new low-pressure sewer along the Route 12 corridor within Sewer District No. 9 to eliminate existing failing on-site septic systems.
• Town of St. Armand (North Country), $484,185 for a wastewater treatment disinfection project to incorporate seasonal disinfection and to bring the plant into compliance with the discharge permit.
• Town of Trenton (Mohawk Valley), $16 million to construct a public sewer system to serve the Hamlet of Barneveld and the Mapledale area. This project will eliminate failing on-site septic systems.
• Town of Tupper Lake (North Country), $2 million to replace existing sanitary sewer mains in various areas throughout Sewer District No. 1.
• Town of Varick (Finger Lakes), $5.3 million for the construction of Sewer District No. 4 to serve residents along Route 89 currently served by on-site septic systems. This project will help reduce harmful algae blooms on Cayuga Lake.
• Town of Verona (Mohawk Valley), $6.65 million for the construction of a new public sewer system to serve the Hamlet of Durhamville, that will eliminate failing on-site septic systems.
• Warwick, Town of (Mid-Hudson), $8 million for Sewer District No.1 Wastewater Treatment Plant upgrades to ensure the plant can continue to meet environmental regulations.

Enhanced Grants to Projects that Protect Drinking Water from Emerging Contaminants

Reaffirming New York’s national leadership in tackling PFAS and other emerging contaminants, Governor Hochul awarded enhanced grants for eligible emerging contaminant projects, covering 70 percent of total eligible costs. This will help ensure cost is not a barrier for communities working to make life-saving investments that eliminate risks to their drinking water supplies. Awards include:

• Village of Chatham (Capital Region), $5 million to develop a new well source to address PFAS contamination and inadequate source capacity.
• Village of Valatie (Capital Region), $5.5 million to construct a PFAS treatment facility.
• Westbury Water District (Long Island), $10.8 million for 1,4-Dioxane treatment at Well 12.

In addition to the $10.8 million grant for the Westbury Water District, another $16 million is being awarded to help Long Island communities update their aging water infrastructure. Long Island depends almost entirely on a sole-source aquifer, and this investment gives local water providers the tools they need to help safeguard this unique groundwater supply and ensure millions of residents in Nassau and Suffolk counties have clean, reliable drinking water. This announcement marks the Governor’s latest major action to strengthen water quality on Long Island, building on more than $1 billion in State investment over the past two years alone.

EFC’s Community Assistance Teams Helped Municipalities Secure Grants

Small, rural, and disadvantaged communities are particularly impacted by deteriorating water infrastructure and often do not possess the resources and capacity necessary to advance a project for infrastructure improvement. Governor Hochul’s  Community Assistance Teams program that launched in 2023 provides essential support to local governments to help them address their critical water infrastructure needs. Nine municipalities that worked with the State through this initiative received grants in this round. This includes enhanced grants to the Villages of Bloomingburg and Valatie and the Town of Herkimer, listed above. Grants were additionally awarded to:

• Village of Massena (North Country) $5 million for the Bowers Street tank and clear well project.
• Town of Monroe (Mid-Hudson), $2.3 million for the Water District 1 improvement project.
• City of Syracuse (Central NY), $5 million for the Mosley Pump Station replacement project.
• Town of Warwick (Mid-Hudson), $8 million for Sewer District No. 1 wastewater treatment plant upgrades.
• City of Watertown (North Country), three grants including:
  • $24.3 million for the Watertown Water Treatment Plant improvement project.
  • $7.4 million for inflow and infiltration reduction in the Western Outfall Trunk Sewer.
  • $5 million for a new drinking water storage tank and transmission main.

Statement from Ed Cox on the Governor's Race

NYGOP Chair Ed Cox released the following statement:

 

"Elise Stefanik will remain a leader in our party and a powerful voice for our principles. We respect her decision and thank her for her efforts.

 

"Bruce Blakeman has my endorsement and I urge our State Committee and party leaders to join me.  Bruce is a fighter who has proven he knows how to win in difficult political terrain. As County Executive, he cut taxes, fought against radical leftwing social policies and made Nassau County the safest county in America.  

"Working together and with Bruce Blakeman as our candidate, Republicans will defeat Kathy Hochul, end Democrats' affordability crisis and put an end to New York's nation-leading outmigration." 

Stefanik pulls out of Governor's race

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Friday, December 19, 2025 SARATOGA, N.Y. – Chairwoman Elise Stefanik released the following statement: "While spending precious time with my family this Christmas season, I have made the decision to suspend my campaign for Governor and will not seek re-election to Congress. I did not come to this decision lightly for our family. I am truly humbled and grateful for the historic and overwhelming support from Republicans, Conservatives, Independents, and Democrats all across the state for our campaign to Save New York.   However, as we have seen in past elections, while we would have overwhelmingly won this primary, it is not an effective use of our time or your generous resources to spend the first half of next year in an unnecessary and protracted Republican primary, especially in a challenging state like New York.   And while many know me as Congresswoman, my most important title is Mom. I believe that being a parent is life's greatest gift and greatest responsibility. I have thought deeply about this, and I know that as a mother, I will feel profound regret if I don't further focus on my young son's safety, growth, and happiness—particularly at his tender age.  I am incredibly grateful to the people of New York's 21st District for entrusting me to represent you in the United States Congress. Thank you to my dedicated staff over the past decade. I am proud of the significant results that we successfully delivered for the hardworking families in our district and across America. It has been a tremendous professional honor to serve as your Congresswoman over the past eleven years. Thank you for your support and encouragement as my family and I look forward to the next meaningful personal and professional chapter.  God Bless and Merry Christmas."

NYGOP Statement following Mamdani Appointee Resigning over "Money-Hungry Jews" Remark

The NYGOP released the following statement in response to the resignation of Catherine Almonte Da Costa, a senior Zohran Mamdani appointee, following reports of her past anti-Semitic comments, including "money hungry Jews:"

 

"Actions speak louder than words: Zohran Mamdani can offer all the carefully scripted X posts he wants and make last-minute pilgrimages to Jewish groups begging for votes, but the company he keeps tells the truth. Appointing senior staff who traffic in ugly anti-Semitic stereotypes isn’t an accident; it’s a reflection of values.

 

"Kathy Hochul’s silence is just as disturbing. When moral clarity is required, she has once again refused to condemn anti-Semitism in her own party or stand up to Mamdani.

 

"Right in the middle of Hanukkah, as Jews are being violently attacked around the world and here at home, New Yorkers are reminded of an uncomfortable reality: the Mayor-elect of New York City is a virulent anti-Semite.”

 

-NYGOP Spokesman David Laska