Mayor Adams' Statement in Response to Governor Hochul's State of the State Address

January 14, 2025

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today released the following statement in response to New York Governor Kathy Hochul’s State of the State address:  

“Governor Hochul’s State of the State address showed her commitment to making New York a safer, more affordable city for working-class families. 

“As the governor stated today, her top priority is public safety. She understands that we must tackle street homelessness in the five boroughs, and one of the key pieces to getting that done is addressing the epidemic of severe mental illness we are facing on our streets and in our subways. Our administration has publicly called for and urged the state to take action that will make it easier for the city to help those suffering from severe mental illness — even in cases when an individual does not recognize that they need assistance — and we are encouraged that the governor was vocal in her support for these measures in her address today.  

“We also appreciate the governor’s willingness to commit state resources to putting more officers in our transit system. When I ride our trains and speak to everyday New Yorkers, they repeatedly tell me how they want to see more officers on our subways and more help for those suffering from severe mental illness. The governor is right to prioritize these investments because public safety is the prerequisite to prosperity. 

“Additionally, Governor Hochul and our administration agree that we must make changes to the criminal justice system to prevent repeat offenders from doing further harm to our communities. We are asking for real change through discovery reform to preserve the best parts of the 2019 reforms, while reducing undue burdens on our prosecutors, so we can speed up criminal cases, achieve swift and fair justice, and keep recidivists from repeatedly endangering New Yorkers.  

“Finally, the governor laid out a slate of promising affordability measures, including expanding the child tax credit, providing baby boxes to new families, and making new investments in child care. We look forward to passing our “Axe the Tax for the Working Class” proposal, which will put $63 million back into the pockets of over half a million working-class New Yorkers. At a moment when our state faces a historic affordability crisis, Governor Hochul understands this bold action would make a meaningful difference for hundreds of thousands of our city’s residents. 

“As the legislative session begins, our administration is, once again, looking forward to working with Governor Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea-Stewart Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, and all of our partners in Albany to make our city safer, more affordable, and the best place to raise a family.” 

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