Blog

#NYCoronairus: The coronavirus pandemic has been an acid test for government, revealing bureaucratic incompetencies, unnecessary regulations—and, in Albany, an agency that has failed to perform one of its central functions. Read More

#NYCoronavirus: The state Health Department released additional coronavirus data that gives a clearer picture of which counties and age groups have been hardest hit by the pandemic so far. Read More

The new state budget finally takes credible steps to address the Medicaid crisis of recent history. What's missing is a clear plan for weathering the far larger crisis of the present and future. Read More

#NYCoronaVirus: The Legislature isn't just delegating emergency spending control powers to Governor Cuomo as part of the new state budget.  It's also handing him a deficit-financing credit card with an $11 billion limit. Read More

#NYCoronaVirus: As New York State lawmakers debate the Medicaid budget during a public health crisis, here are seven things they should keep in mind. Read More

#NYCoronavirus: The coronavirus pandemic has just claimed its first big institutional victim: the New York State Legislature, which handed Governor Cuomo broad and unprecedented leeway to "adjust or reduce" state spending in the fiscal year that began today. Read More

The world has changed since Governor Cuomo tasked his Medicaid Redesign Team with finding $2.5 billion in savings to help balance the state budget. Yet even in light of the coronavirus pandemic, many of the panel's recommendations still make sense – and are arguably more necessary than ever. Read More

When it comes to responding to the coronavirus, New York is likely to struggle with a pre-existing condition: the Taylor Law. Governor Andrew Cuomo has authority to suspend portions of the Taylor Law—and to preserve vital public services, he should. Read More

Although New York is taking the brunt of the coronavirus pandemic – with 43 percent of the nation's known cases and 40 percent of the deaths – the state is due to receive only 5 percent of the $150 billion Coronavirus Relief Fund just established by Congress. Read More

#NYCoronavirus: The negative economic after-effects of the pandemic seem likely to rival if not exceed those of the Great Recession of 2008-09. But as New Yorkers face massive job losses, falling incomes, sagging property values and widespread economic insecurity, they'll have one layer of protection they sorely lacked in the last downturn: a tight cap on local property tax levies, instigated by Governor Cuomo in 2011. Read More

#NYCoronavirus: The $2 trillion federal stimulus bill on its way to passage today does not actually shortchange New York in any general sense—but it does seem to clearly dash Governor Cuomo's vain hopes for a budget bailout, which is why he is so unhappy about it. Read More

#NYCoronavirus: With state revenues crashing and joblessness skyrocketing, more than a third of the New York state government workforce is scheduled to get a 2 percent pay raise in less than a week. Read More