“The question now isn’t whether previous state and local budget assumptions have been demolished — only by how much and for how long,” writes E.J. McMahon, research director at the Empire Center for Public Policy and a Manhattan Institute adjunct fellow. Read More
“They have to make decisions now. Every moment they waste is going to make the problem worse and that is going to cost jobs in the future,” said E.J. McMahon, research director at the Empire Center, an Albany think tank. “They don’t gain anything by stalling.” Read More
For insight on the state of the economy and what New York City and state should do address the worsening economic situation, City & State turned to four experts on the matter: New York City Comptroller Scott Stringer, New York State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli, Citizens Budget Commission President Andrew Rein, and E.J. McMahon, founder and research director for the Empire Center for Public Policy. The responses have been edited for length and clarity. Read More
At the state level, researchers at the Empire Center found that New York’s prevailing wage requirements inflate construction costs by up to 25 percent. Suspending Davis-Bacon would enable state and local governments to save billions of dollars on construction costs. States could return the savings to taxpayers in the form of tax relief, increase the solvency of their underfunded pension systems for teachers, or use the savings to complete additional needed infrastructure construction. Read More
His appointed Medicaid Redesign Team II is holding its final meeting on Thursday. A draft report obtained by the Empire Center for Public Policy describes $1.6 billion in projected savings through proposals like capping enrollment in managed long-term care plans and changing eligibility requirements for personal care services. Read More
"Everyone in the private sector is worrying if they are going to be laid off, if their pay is going to be cut," said E.J. McMahon, research director at the right-leaning Empire Center in Albany. Read More
E.J. McMahon of the Empire Center for Public Policy, a conservative think tank in Albany, said New Jersey's numbers would likely be lower if not for New York. The Garden State has always been the discount dormitory for city workers, he said. Read More
With much of New York’s economy shut down and millions of taxpayers likely to depend on federal “emergency support” payments to make it through, an immediate pay freeze for all state and local government employees is a must. Read More