Governor Kathy Hochul proposes a $233 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year, an increase of about 2% from the current budget. The proposal includes at least $1.9 billion over two years specifically for New York City's migrant crisis.
In Hochul's plan, state Medicaid spending would be hiked to almost $3 billion, a roughly 11% year-over-year increase. The blueprint would reserve more than $650 million for costs at sprawling and controversial migrant megashelters at Floyd Bennett airfield in southeast Brooklyn; Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in eastern Queens; and Randalls Island.
The Hochul administration has made the decision to end the 'hold harmless' clause that has been part of state school aid for decades. This means that after three years of record spending, some school districts will see a rare reduction in state aid compared with the current year.
The proposed investment would match the state's commitment in the current budget cycle. Hochul and Democrats have agreed to about $1 billion in funding for the asylum seeker challenge in the current cycle, but under pressure from Mayor Eric Adams, Hochul has increased state migrant funding to $1.9 billion in the 2024 fiscal year budget.
Governor Kathy Hochul is set to propose a $233 billion budget for the upcoming fiscal year, an increase of about 2% from the current budget. The proposal includes at least $1.9 billion over two years specifically for New York City's migrant crisis, on top of approximately $2 billion committed last year to help bail out the city as it grapples with financial costs associated with caring for waves of migrants.
The proposed investment would match the state's commitment in the current budget cycle. Hochul and Democrats have agreed to about $1 billion in funding for the asylum seeker challenge in the current cycle, but under pressure from Mayor Eric Adams, Hochul has increased state migrant funding to $1.9 billion in the 2024 fiscal year budget.
In Hochul's plan, state Medicaid spending would be hiked to almost $3 billion, a roughly 11% year-over-year increase. The blueprint would reserve more than $650 million for costs at sprawling and controversial migrant megashelters at Floyd Bennett airfield in southeast Brooklyn; Creedmoor Psychiatric Center in eastern Queens; and Randalls Island.
The Hochul administration has made the decision to end the 'hold harmless' clause that has been part of state school aid for decades. This means that after three years of record spending, some school districts will see a rare reduction in state aid compared with the current year.
Hochul is expected to lay out her budget plans in an address from Albany on Tuesday morning. The proposed budget would come out to about a 2% increase from the current $229 billion budget that Hochul and state lawmakers approved last year.
The Hochul administration has made the decision to end the 'hold harmless' clause that has been part of state school aid for decades. This means that after three years of record spending, some school districts will see a rare reduction in state aid compared with the current year.
The change is needed to make sure high-needs schools get the funding they need. The decision was based on reserves and surpluses of many moderate- and lower-needs school districts, except for five city schools: New York City, Yonkers, Syracuse, Rochester and Buffalo.
State school aid in Hochul's budget proposal would increase $825 million to $35.3 billion, or a 2.4% increase over the 2023-4 state budget.
Accuracy
The Hochul administration made the decision to end the 'hold harmless' clause after increasing state school aid by $7 billion over three years with an additional $13 billion increase in federal aid during that period. The change is needed to make sure high-needs schools get funding they need.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in that it presents the idea of ending a provision that has allowed school districts to depend on getting at least as much state aid as in the previous year. However, this provision was not mentioned by name and its purpose was not clearly stated. The author also presented information about how many school districts would see a reduction in state aid without providing any context or explanation for why these specific schools were chosen.
The article presents the idea of ending a provision that has allowed school districts to depend on getting at least as much state aid as in the previous year. However, this provision was not mentioned by name and its purpose was not clearly stated.
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains an appeal to authority fallacy by stating that the Hochul administration made the decision based on reserves and surpluses of school districts. The author also uses a dichotomous depiction when describing some school districts as 'high-needs' while others are described as 'moderate- and lower-needs'. Additionally, there is an inflammatory rhetoric used in the statement that after three years of record spending, Hochul will propose ending the 'hold harmless' clause. The article also contains a formal fallacy by stating that state school aid in Hochul's budget proposal would increase $825 million to $35.3 billion, or a 2.4% increase over the 2023-24 state budget.
The Hochul administration made the decision based on reserves and surpluses of school districts.
Bias
(85%)
The article reports that Gov. Kathy Hochul will propose cutting aid for some school districts in her state budget proposal. The author states that after three years of record spending, Hochul plans to end the 'hold harmless' clause which has allowed school districts to depend on getting at least as much school aid as in the previous year. This change is necessary because high-needs schools need funding and moderate- and lower-needs school districts have reached their maximum reserves except for a few large cities. The article also mentions that Hochul's budget proposal will be negotiated with Democratic leaders of the Senate and Assembly, which traditionally results in increases in spending over the proposals by governors. This suggests political bias as it implies that Democrats are more likely to advocate for increased funding.
The article reports that Gov. Kathy Hochul plans to end the 'hold harmless' clause
This change is necessary because high-needs schools need funding and moderate- and lower-needs school districts have reached their maximum reserves except for a few large cities.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
There are multiple examples of conflicts of interest in this article. Firstly, the author is not disclosed which could indicate that Newsday has a financial stake in Gov. Kathy Hochul or Blake Washington as they may be employees or shareholders of the company.
The Hochul administration has made the decision to end the 'hold harmless' clause that has been part of state school aid for decades. This means that after three years of record spending, some school districts will see a rare reduction in state aid compared with the current year.
State Medicaid spending would be hiked to almost $3 billion, a roughly 11% year-over-year increase.
Accuracy
Gov. Kathy Hochul plans to propose a $233 billion budget for the next fiscal year that would include about $2 billion for the city's migrant crisis.
Deception
(50%)
The article is deceptive in several ways. Firstly, the title of the article implies that Gov. Kathy Hochul will unveil a budget proposal for $233 billion when in fact she only proposes an additional $1.9 billion to help bail out New York City as it grapples with the financial cost of caring for waves of migrants.
The article states that the new infusion of cash would be a much-needed lifeline for Mayor Eric Adams, who has implemented wide-ranging mid-year cuts to buoy the city's finances. However, this statement is misleading as it implies that Mayor Eric Adams was responsible for implementing these cuts when in fact they were not his decision.
The title implies that Gov. Kathy Hochul will unveil a budget proposal for $233 billion when in fact she only proposes an additional $1.9 billion to help bail out New York City as it grapples with the financial cost of caring for waves of migrants.
Fallacies
(85%)
The article contains several fallacies. The first is an appeal to authority when the author cites a memo from Washington describing continued funding for the migrant crisis as unsustainable. This statement implies that Washington's opinion on the matter should be taken as fact without any evidence or reasoning provided to support it. Additionally, there are multiple instances of inflammatory rhetoric used throughout the article, such as when Hochul is described as not leaving New York City 'hanging.' The use of this language creates an emotional response in readers and can cloud their judgment. Finally, the author uses a dichotomous depiction by describing the city's financial situation as being in dire need of assistance while also stating that Hochul's budget proposal covers the gap for the next fiscal year. This contradicts each other and suggests that there is no real solution to New York City's migrant crisis.
The state’s ability to commit to this level of assistance to the city every year, creates really hard challenges for us in closing budget gaps and deciding between funding Medicaid and schooling appropriately. So, it’s not sustainable over a longer term.
Bias
(85%)
The article is biased towards the government's decision to allocate additional funding for New York City's migrant crisis. The author uses language that dehumanizes and demonizes immigrants, such as referring to them as 'untold new arrivals each and every day'. They also use quotes from politicians without providing context or critically analyzing their statements.
The city is the home of untold new arrivals each and every day
We're sort of meeting the problem where it is, not what we'd like it to be.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The article discusses the budget proposed by Gov. Kathy Hochul for New York City's migrant crisis and how $1.9 billion of it will be drawn from unexpected tax revenue instead of going into the state's rainy-day fund.
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of Medicaid spending as they mention it in relation to the migrant crisis and $1.9 billion for New York City.
The Hochul administration has made the decision to end the 'hold harmless' clause that has been part of state school aid for decades. This means that after three years of record spending, some school districts will see a rare reduction in state aid compared with the current year.
Gov. Kathy Hochul is proposing allocating at least $1.9 billion over two years specifically for New York City's migrant crisis, on top of the approximately $2 billion committed last year to help bail out the city as it grapples with financial costs associated with caring for waves of migrants.
Accuracy
No Contradictions at Time
Of
Publication
Deception
(100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Fallacies
(75%)
The article contains several fallacies. The author uses an appeal to authority by stating that the governor's budget office said about $2 billion would be allocated for migrants. However, this statement is not supported with any evidence or citation of a reliable source.
Bias
(85%)
The article is biased towards the political ideology of Tim Balk. The author uses language that dehumanizes and demonizes migrants by referring to them as a 'migrant crisis' and describing their actions as an 'asylum seeker challenge'. This creates a negative connotation for migrants, which may influence readers to view them in a negative light.
The article refers to the situation with migrants as a 'migrant crisis'
The author uses language that dehumanizes and demonizes migrants by referring to their actions as an 'asylum seeker challenge'.
Site
Conflicts
Of
Interest (100%)
None Found At Time Of
Publication
Author
Conflicts
Of
Interest (50%)
The author has a conflict of interest on the topic of state Medicaid spending increase as they are reporting on it and also mentioning that there is an almost $3 billion budget gap for the upcoming year. The article does not disclose this conflict.
