Fiscal Policy Institute

Many have opined on the feasibility of Mayor-elect Mamdani's ambitious childcare proposals—but the single most decisive factor in whether NYC ends up with a truly universal childcare system is whether that system is supported by sustainable, recurring revenue that grows with the program over time.

FPI's Tax Plan for Universal Childcare in New York City recommends adopting a mix of taxes to finance universal childcare, following the multiple-taxes model that funds the MTA. This combination of progressive and broad-based taxes would allow revenue to grow with the program over time while ensuring stable and fair funding.

Read our four tax proposals below:

A Tax Plan for Universal Childcare in New York City - Fiscal Policy Institute Download full brief Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani made universal childcare a central plank of his campaign platform, and once inaugurated he is widely expected to push for a deal in this year’s state budget to authorize new taxes to fund the program.

This morning, with SNAP cuts looming, Governor Hochul pledged an additional $65M to fund charitable food assistance.

But on Saturday 3 million New Yorkers—including 1 million children—relying on SNAP for food security will collectively lose $640M per month in benefits, triggering a hunger crisis in New York.

We encourage the governor to consider extending funds beyond this pledge—which will cover merely 1 week of food assistance—and to continue to investigate ways to load SNAP EBT cards with the funds upon which families rely.

Governor Hochul Commits $106 Million to Fighting Hunger During Federal Shutdown - Fiscal Policy Institute With the federal shutdown entering its thirtieth day, it is now expected that federal funding for SNAP benefits (food stamps) will run out at the end of October. This morning, Governor Hochul announced an additional $65 million in funding for charitable food assistance, bringing overall state fundin...

Yesterday, two members our senior staff presented testimony to New York City Council on the impacts of the federal legislation known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA).

Andrew Perry, Director of Fiscal Research, explained that the OBBBA will require New York State to cover an additional $1.4 billion in costs related to SNAP as the federal government shifts these costs to the state. NYC itself will be responsible for an additional $100 million of new administrative costs. More concerning is the human impact: 174,000 individuals in New York City will immediately lose access to SNAP benefits and an additional 264,000 individuals will face arbitrary hurdles to enrollment under the pretense of imposing “work requirements.” The average monthly SNAP benefit is $232 per individual—its loss will push low-income households towards hunger and homelessness.

Andrew Perty Health Policy Director, explained how hundreds of thousands of NYC residents could lose their health insurance because of federal cuts to Medicaid and the Essential Plan, which provide health insurance for 3.5 million New York City residents (out of a total city population of 8.5 million). Kinnucan recommended that the City:

(1) invest in primary care to provide affordable treatment to all NYC residents, especially those who will become uninsured
(2) invest in the City’s Health + Hospitals system to bolster it in the face of impending funding losses
(3) require a larger contribution from private hospitals to finance these programs.

Read the testimony: https://fiscalpolicy.org/fpi-testimony-to-new-york-city-council-on-impacts-of-the-obbba