Amid criticism from some that his meeting with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, held Friday, Jan. 17, was used to discuss his federal legal case of alleged bribery around prior election campaign financing, to which he has pleaded not guilty, New York City Mayor Eric Adams refuted suggestions the meeting was used for this purpose and said the discussion, among other topics, focused on bringing manufacturing jobs to New York City, particularly in The Bronx.  

The mayor announced on Thursday, Jan. 16, the release of the $114.5 billion fiscal year 2026 preliminary budget, a summary of which can be read here. According to City officials, the budget makes “sound investments” that will keep the City subways and streets safe, bring tax relief to working-class New Yorkers, beautify parks, and make communities safer.

 

On Friday, the NYPD released the following statement regarding additional police presence on the City’s subway system. “The NYPD will be rolling out the ambitious plan to put two officers on every overnight train in phases. Phase 1 will officially begin on Monday and include the first 100 officers. Additional phases will be rolled out over the coming weeks with the expectation that the full operation will be complete by the end of the month. This is a massive undertaking that involves specialized training as well as logistics and resource management. We appreciate the governor’s support in keeping New Yorkers safe.”

 

City officials added in the context of the budget announcement that investments in various sectors were made possible through what they said was the Adams administration’s “ongoing, strong, fiscal management,” including $3.4 billion in total savings,” and a “robust economy.”

 

They said the Adams administration’s policies set the stage for the City’s economic growth and helped increase tax revenues, and added that the asylum seeker reforecast saves the City $2.4 billion over two fiscal years, bringing total asylum seeker savings over three fiscal years to $5.2 billion.

 

Reaction to the budget was mixed, both positive and negative. New York’s civil legal service providers, for example, called on the mayor to fix what they said was the City’s broken contract and payment process, saying payment delays jeopardize non-profits’ ability to deliver on the mayor’s stated goals of helping tenants, low-income people, and new arrivals.

 

The Legal Aid Society, Lawyers For Children, Human Services Council, Mobilization for Justice, The Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), TakeRoot Justice, The Bronx Defenders, Legal Services NYC, Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation A, CAMBA Legal Services, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, and The New York Immigration Coalition said, “Like Mayor Adams’ State of the City address, his Fiscal Year 2026 Preliminary Budget announced today includes various initiatives that are dependent on non-profit contractors to implement.”

 

They added that what they called the mayor’s reliance on non-profits revealed a “problem of the mayor’s own making” that will delay his agenda from moving forward: “the City’s broken payment and contracting process.”

 

“Non-profits either cannot submit or still have not received payment on current invoices for payment on any approved baseline contract with the Human Resources Administration – the department responsible for the majority of the City’s social services programs, which includes critical housing and immigration-related programming,” they said.

 

They went on to say that the “current egregious payment delays” have some providers “on the brink of bankruptcy,” soon unable to carry out the administration’s priorities, and ultimately harming New Yorkers who desperately need these services.

 

“Mayor Adams needs to recognize that his agenda and priorities are being stymied by his refusal to fix a failed process he campaigned on reforming,” they concluded. “Many of the proposals he announced last week and today are necessary and will benefit many of the communities we serve, but they will fall flat if the City persists in its failures to pay the non-profits tasked with implementing them.”

 

The mayor is deemed innocent of the bribery and related charges unless and until convicted in a court of law.