Gov. Kathy Hochul said Thursday that major federal funding cuts to Medicaid, food stamps and other programs in President Donald Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” enacted earlier this month will take a “wrecking ball” to New Yorkers most in need.
The governor made the remarks Thursday morning following a cabinet meeting about the Republican-approved federal spending bill signed by Trump on July 4, the content of which — including a massive funding increase for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) operations — are “beyond unconscionable.” She also laid the blame for the bill at the feet of New York Republican House members who voted for the legislation.
“It’s an intentional infliction of pain on the people of this great state and our country,” Hochul said of the bill. “It’s taking a wrecking ball to the lives of the most vulnerable. For what purpose? Why is this happening? To fund tax breaks for the most privileged, the wealthiest, millionaires and billionaires who, last I checked, are doing just fine.”
Budget ‘headwinds heading our way’
Hochul said that she met with the cabinet to discuss the “headwinds that are heading our way” following the bill’s passage — including a reduction of New York’s annual federal health insurance funding by about $13 billion.
“Medicaid is literally the lifeline for one in three New Yorkers,” Hochul said. “Cutting this essential healthcare doesn’t keep people from getting sick, it doesn’t stop babies from being born. It’s simply saying, ‘You’re on your own.'”
The state government expects that 1.5 million New Yorkers will lose their health insurance, and 3 million people could be subject to lost food benefits as a result of the new legislation.
Democrats in New York and across the country have sounded the alarm over the bill and have worked to characterize the legislation as a threat to everyday Americans relying on public safety nets, many of which were solidified during President Barack Obama’s administration. A CNN poll released Wednesday shows that six in 10 Americans oppose the bill.
‘I won’t let them forget,’ governor vows
Hochul, in addition to condemning Trump and his administration for spearheading the legislation, called out New York’s seven Congressional Republicans for supporting the bill. Hochul noted that some of the greater cuts in the legislation will not go into effect until 2026, 2027, or 2028.
“What’s really cynical about what they just did is that they postponed some of the pain until later, hoping that New Yorkers will have amnesia when it comes to election time next year, and forget what they’ve unleashed on their own districts,” Hochul said. “I won’t let them forget. They will not get away with this. New Yorkers will know who voted, callously, to disregard the needs of their district, there constituents. And there are consequences.”
Hochul said that she and her cabinet are working to expand on “creative strategies” to limit the impacts of the legislation in New York. She said the government had an “instinct” that certain cuts would take place, noting the state’s fiscal year 2026 budget process that limited spending and cut the inflation rebate to save money.
Responding to a reporter who asked about the bill’s multi-billion-dollar increase in ICE funds, Hochul said farmers in New York were likely “shocked that someone they probably voted for has turned on them in this way.”
The governor, however, declined to comment directly on a state bill seeking to prohibit ICE agents from wearing masks to conceal their identities but called the practice “abhorrent.”
Cities and towns across the country have seen an increase in ICE raids and arrests, during which ICE agents frequently wear masks that hide their faces. In New York City and in Albany, elected officials have spoken out against the practice.
