May 12, 2026 — Earlier this week, The People’s Plan released a spending agenda and a report of revenue and savings options that has the potential to allow the City to recoup over $4 billion over multiple years in order to sensibly expand critical social services that we will advocate for the city to consider this year. 

As the Mayor released his budget today, The People’s Budget Coalition, run by The People’s Plan NYC, is pleased to see key items of our spending agenda were funded or in progress to being funded, including:  

• $31.7 million in restored and baselined funding for libraries
• $15 million in restored and baselined funding for parks with more to go until adopted
• $26 million for the Office of Hate Crime Prevention, a more than 800% increase in funding 
• 586 vacancies cut from the Department of Corrections resulting in $78.4 million in savings
• Expanded funding and enforcement capacity for the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, as advocated in our Make ‘Em Pay campaign, including $4.3 million in FY 27 that grows to $18 million in FY29, and increase of an estimated 180 staff over the outyears 
• $14.3 million in right to counsel funding that will grow to $40 million in FY 28
• $40.9 million in funding for the Office of Community Safety 

 

What our coalition still hopes to see funded or addressed in the budget from now until adopted:

• Restorations and investments in education and CUNY hiring and improved graduation rate programs
• $20 million to restore life-changing programs like Homeless Youth Navigators and funding for domestic violence-related legal services 
• Progress towards $330 million to expand fair fares to more New Yorkers
• $144 million to restore and expand funding for mental health care, diversion and reentry programs that reduce recidivism, and an expansion of hate violence prevention funding paid for by cutting wasteful DOC vacancies
• Invest $242 million to protect immigrants from Trump’s attacks and $125 million to protect LGBTQ affirming care in New York and protect abortion access in the city
• More investments to ensure bad landlords and unethical corporate actors pay their fines by expanding the city’s legal capacity to process fines and increasing enforcement staffing 
• A resolution to the CityFheps lawsuit and a real way forward with a partnership between the Administration, homelessness advocates, and the Council to find a long term solution to housing more housing insecure New Yorkers through this vital rental assistance program

 

We look forward to working with the Mayor and the Council to negotiate the best possible budget given the City’s fiscal picture and any relevant updates in projections or status. The People’s Plan will continue to advocate for a just budget at every step of the way. 

As New Yorkers grapple with a historic affordability crisis, we are still calling on the state to contribute recurring reliable revenue through taxes on corporations and billionaires, and for New York City to invest longer term in core essential services, housing, and the City’s social safety net to make sure already struggling New Yorkers can afford to stay in the city and thrive. 

“We’re relieved to see the deficit closed through state contributions and a pied-à-terre tax on wealthy second home owners. The Mayor and partners at the state level, as well as thousands of New Yorkers and hundreds of organizations and unions, have fought hard to ensure NYC has a stable financial foundation for FY27,” said Zara Nasir, Executive Director of The People’s Plan. “We’re proud to see many of our priorities reflected in this executive budget proposal— but as New Yorkers grapple with a historic affordability crisis, our work isn’t done.”