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A Tax Plan for Statewide Universal Childcare

December 30th, 2025|

New York's public school system, built in the nineteenth century, entitles New Yorkers aged five to twenty-one to free education. More recently, policymakers, including Governor Hochul and Mayor-elect Mamdani, have committed to finishing the project by extending universal education and care to children under the age of five.

City Council’s Housing Bills Would Make Housing Less Affordable

December 11th, 2025|

New York City Council will likely vote next week on a series of “term sheet bills” that would legislate new rigid restrictions on city-financed affordable housing development and preservation. These bills will drive up the cost of developing new affordable housing in the city and put major obstacles in the way of the incoming Mayor’s affordable housing agenda.

Governor Hochul Commits $106 Million to Fighting Hunger During Federal Shutdown

October 30th, 2025|

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 funding for emergency food assistance to $106 million. We commend the governor for her efforts to keep New Yorkers fed while the federal government gambles with human lives. The best way to ensure that the forty-two million Americans—including three million New Yorkers—relying on SNAP receive their benefits would be for Republicans [...]

How New Mexico Will Pay for Universal Childcare

October 29th, 2025|

New Mexico will remove all income limits for its childcare assistance program, allowing residents of all income levels to receive childcare subsidies. New Mexico’s efforts could provide insight on the scale of investment needed to reach universality in New York.

Failure to fund SNAP benefits will remove $640 million from state economy

October 28th, 2025|

With the federal shutdown entering its 28th day, it is now expected that federal funding for SNAP benefits (food stamps) will run out by the end of October. The 3 million New Yorkers — including 1 million children — who rely on SNAP for food security will collectively lose the $640 million per month that they receive in benefits, triggering an immediate hunger crisis throughout the state. What’s more, 16,000 retailers that serve SNAP recipients will also lose out on $640 million in aggregate monthly revenue, a huge loss that could put strain on the businesses. Governor Hochul has [...]

Troubling trends in New York’s small group market

July 15th, 2025|

Read Full Report By Bailey Hu, Health Policy Analyst, & Michael Kinnucan, Director of Health Policy Prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010, small business employers in New York and other states often had difficulty buying affordable health insurance, especially if their employees were in poor health. The ACA helped provide better options for workers and their families by regulating offerings in the "small group" health insurance market, which serves businesses with up to 100 employees. However, recent administrative data shows alarming trends: not only is New York's small group [...]

FPI Briefing on the Federal Budget Reconciliation Bill

July 10th, 2025|

The OBBBA spending cuts are concentrated in Medicaid and food stamps (SNAP), with devastating effects for New Yorkers. The bill will cut federal funding to the  New York State budget by approximately $10 billion annually and kick 1.5 million New Yorkers off their health insurance, more than doubling the statewide uninsured population. On top of the direct fiscal costs to New York State, the OBBBA will cut an additional $13 billion in funding to New York’s healthcare system.

One Big Beautiful Fiscal Crisis

July 2nd, 2025|

Yesterday, in a 51-49 vote, Senate Republicans passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (OBBBA), which, if passed by the House this week, will increase the national debt by approximately $4 trillion while leaving 11 million more Americans uninsured by 2035. The bill is significantly more draconian in its Medicaid cuts than the version passed by the House in May, cutting the program by $1 trillion over 10 years, rather than the $800 billion proposed in the House bill.

The House Medicaid Proposal Would be a Disaster for New York

May 15th, 2025|

In February, Congressional Republicans – including all seven New York representatives – voted for a budget reconciliation package requiring $880 billion in cuts to Medicaid over the next ten years. The reconciliation package set an overall target for spending reductions, but didn’t announce what specifically would be cut from the program. This week, House leadership finally revealed which program areas will be targeted.

Does New York State Have Universal Pre-K?

January 10th, 2025|

By the State’s account, it currently provides enough UPK funding to provide a UPK seat to every four-year-old in the State. Nevertheless, the program remains far short of universal, with incomplete coverage of four-year-olds outside of the state’s major cities and limited provision for three-year-olds across the state.

The Federal Housing Policy Landscape

December 9th, 2024|

State housing policy relies heavily on two federal programs that support housing affordability: the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit and Housing Choice Vouchers (also known as “Section 8” vouchers). These two programs underpin most affordable housing construction in the US and play an important role in the provision of affordable housing in New York State.

Making Sense of New York’s Medicaid Long-Term Care Spending

December 4th, 2024|

New York spends more on Medicaid long-term care than most states, but this higher spending is driven primarily by higher enrollment, particularly among seniors, rather than by higher per-enrollee spending. This high enrollment reflects policymakers’ decision to make long-term care, particularly home care, relatively accessible for working- and middle-class seniors.

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