Mamdani and Hochul mark two weeks as partners in government

"Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul completed their first two weeks as governing partners on Wednesday, marking a busy start to the enactment of an ambitious shared affordability agenda. The newly elected mayor and the governor, running for re-election this year, claimed numerous victories in the early days of their working relationship, with the crown jewel being their Jan. 8 announcement of a citywide free childcare program for two-year-olds, a home run on a high-priority agenda item for both elected officials."

"Core to Mamdani's democratic socialist agenda is increasing taxes on New York's wealthiest to bankroll his plans for affordability, which include a rent freeze on rent-stabilized apartments, universal childcare, and the elimination of city bus fares. Though Hochul has long been an advocate of affordable childcare, often noting that she is New York's first mom governor, she has poured cold water on Mamdani's hopes for free bus fares and has bristled at calls to tax the rich."

Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul completed their first two weeks as governing partners, launching an ambitious shared affordability agenda. Their primary early achievement was a Jan. 8 announcement of a citywide free childcare program for two-year-olds, which Hochul said the state would fully fund and which aims to serve about 2,000 children in its first year. The scale of the agreement is unusually large this early in a mayoral administration. Mamdani's platform centers on taxing the wealthy to fund a rent freeze for rent-stabilized apartments, universal childcare, and eliminating city bus fares. Hochul supports affordable childcare but has resisted free bus fares and expressed reluctance to raise taxes on the wealthy.

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