The question is whether Nassau County residents will let Bruce Blakeman, seeking reelection as County Executive, get away with his malicious lies that exploit and traumatize rape victims, while at the same time, hiding his accountability for shutting down the one safe haven for victims of rape, domestic violence and abuse available to them.
Republicans from the highest office (Trump) down to the lowest local politician have made lying the key weapon in well-funded campaigns. This is the latest and most egregious.
Using a law review article written by his opponent, Nassau Legislator Seth Koslow, as a law student (when they are being taught to defend both sides of a legal case), Blakeman accuses Koslow in his campaign flyers and commercials of being “an extremist” who supports rapists instead of their victims and won’t keep women safe. (Koslow went on to become a Queens prosecutor prosecuting family law cases.)
The mailers have triggered trauma of survivors of rape and domestic violence even decades after.
Yet it is months since Blakeman’s withdrew funding for the Safe Center (formerly the Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Child Abuse), which provided the only safe haven for victims of domestic abuse in a county of 1.4 million people, forcing the service to close. At the time, Blakeman claimed to have another vendor (or the Nassau University Medical Center which was embroiled in financial scandal) to operate the shelter. But no new operator was contracted and without funding, the shelter was forced to close.
In 2023, the last year for which statistics were publicly available, Nassau County had 4,410 victims of domestic violence, according to the state’s Division of Criminal Justice Service, Newsday reported
Blakeman acknowledges in the mailers’ fine print that the damning accusations he levels against his opponent, Democrat Seth Koslow, are based on a law review article written while he in law school, where students are taught to defend both sides of a legal case.
“Americans are sick of politicians’ lies and distortions,” declared Jody Kass, founder of Nassau Residents for Good Government (NRGG), at a rally on the steps of the County Executive Building. “The insensitive, graphic mailers are triggering rape victims.”
She accused Blakeman of misogyny in trying to score political points by exploiting victims, while trying to hide away from his own actions which put women at risk of rape, abuse, even death.
“Blakeman’s disgraceful campaign lies are compounded by his actions that resulted in the shutting down of the Safe Center, Nassau’s only agency for domestic violence and sexual assault victims, earlier this year. And, his 2026 budget has zero funding for the Safe Center. Are Blakeman’s lies about his opponent intended to keep voters’ eyes off his own record of cutting services for rape victims, and victims of domestic violence? Voters demand transparency and honesty, not performative outrage coupled with a failure to act.”
Ronni Levine of Planned Parenthood Greater New York, who had worked with countless individuals seeking counseling and safety, said New Yorkers want to elect local and state representatives who are committed to protecting reproductive rights. But certain politicians are going after abortion rights, contraception and gender affirming care, cutting off grants that are creating unprecedented financial challenges, harming the ability to access care, and pushing policies that threaten bodily autonomy.
Planned Parenthood NY PAC, which endorses candidates that support reproductive freedom and health care, endorsed Koslow.
Blakeman also opposed Governor Kathy Hochul’s effort to restore gun safety legislation after the Supreme Court overturned the state’s century-old gun control regulations. At the time, Blakeman cheered the ruling, declared he wanted to expedite licensing and enable people to bring their guns into their synagogue.
Janet Goldstein of the Moms Demand Action’s Long Island group, said that gun violence is a women’s issue.
She referred to Everytown research showing that abusers with firearms are five times more likely to kill their female victims, and guns further exacerbate the power and control dynamic commonly used by abusers to inflict emotional abuse and exert coercive control over their victims. Every month, more than 70 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner. Nearly 6 million women reported having a gun used on them by an intimate partner. In 46 percent of mass shootings between 2015 and 2022, the perpetrator shot a current or former intimate partner or family member as part of the rampage. The ripple effects of firearms in the hands of an abuser extend far beyond the intimate relationship—affecting children who witness or live with it and the family members, coworkers, and law enforcement officers who respond to it.
“Guns don’t just escalate the abuse, they make domestic abuse more likely to end in death,” Goldstein said. “The trauma of domestic abuse lasts a lifetime. We need to fight for stronger laws. Instead of keeping people safe, Blakeman is exploiting the pain and trauma of domestic violence for political gain.”
A young woman recalled her own trauma of having been raped in Central Park when she was 14 years old. “It is still hard to say ‘rape,’ ‘sexual assault takes away some of the sting, but rape is true violence.” She said she was re-traumatized by Blakeman’s flyers coming into her mailbox and his commercials.
“Leaders are supposed to look out for all of us. We had a place where we could go for counseling, it even had a safe house. When I was raped, I didn’t have a safe center to go to – I was alone at a public health clinic in Jamaica Queens. I was re-traumatized by the mailings. I am tired of women and girls made to feel ‘less than’, exploited and victimized. We deserve more from our leaders.”
Lisa Saltzman, a criminal defense attorney who has represented “too many” victims, said the Safe Center was the “gold standard” to refer for services and safety. “Many survivors have to leave behind their home, their income, sometimes even their children. The Safe Center was a lifeline to regain their freedom and dignity, where they could get counseling, housing, employment, without living in fear of being raped, abused, even killed.”
“When the county supported the center, it was saying ‘You deserve to be safe, heard, free of violence at the hand of your abuser.’ By closing the center, Blakeman is saying, ‘No you don’t.’ Blakeman doesn’t care about women in Nassau County at risk of rape or being killed by their abuser,” Saltzman said.
“Stop lying and accusing your political opponent of not protecting women when that is what he is doing.” These lies are offensive and should be illegal.
Kass has been tracking and exposing Blakeman’s lies on the “Deceived Nation” website (DeceivedNation.com). “Blakeman’s lies cause damage, pain and suffering every day.”
But she said there is a through-line from Blakeman’s lies to George Santos, who committed fraud and lied his way to a Congressional seat in New York’s 3rd District. Kass’ group, Concerned Citizens of NY03, was largely responsible for Santos ultimately being expelled from Congress, though Republicans held on to him as long as possible because he provided a critical vote. Santos was indicted, prosecuted, and finally sentenced (after pleading guilty) to 7 ¼ years, but Trump has just commuted his sentence (and his obligation to pay his victims $350,000 in restitution) after just 84 days in a cushy prison.
“In Trump’s MAGA Republican party, lying is good, is encouraged, applauded and rewarded. Santos lied and was rewarded with a seat in Congress. Caught lying, the GOP kept him.”
“Blakeman also has serious challenges with the truth,” Kass said.”He’s served as County Executive for nearly four years, having campaigned on fixing the County’s broken tax assessment system, cutting $100 million in taxes, opposing the red light camera fees and protecting our constitutional rights, particularly on healthcare decisions, among other objectives,” Kass declared.
“Blakeman has cut services for women and brought nasty, partisan, misogynistic lies to Nassau, but has he achieved any of his campaign promises? Blakeman owes voters an honest and transparent report on his accomplishments. Instead of violating voters’ mailboxes nearly every day with his litany of dark and dishonest accusations and distortions about his opponent, it’s time for Blakeman to start explaining what he’s accomplished these last four years.
“Blakeman is lying to get reelected. He is the one taking away women’s protection.”
Governor Kathy Hochul today slammed Washington Republicans for sending health care costs skyrocketing for 140,000 New Yorkers. As the GOP refuses to extend the existing enhanced premium tax credits, New Yorkers who rely on the ACA subsidies for affordable, quality coverage are now being notified that their health insurance premiums will increase by an average of 38 percent next year – an average annual increase of nearly $1,400 for individuals and $3,000 for couples. This news comes as New Yorkers are preparing for open enrollment, set to begin November 1.
“Republicans in Washington have made it clear – they don’t care about New Yorkers’ health care,” Governor Hochul said. “It’s shameful. By refusing to extend the Affordable Care Act tax credits, they are turning their backs on their constituents and ripping away access to affordable, quality health care. Republicans in Congress need to do the right thing and extend these credits that make health insurance for New Yorkers more affordable.”
Given the magnitude of federal funding reductions enacted under H.R.1, which are now compounded by the GOP shutdown and the expiration of the enhanced premium tax credits, no single state, including New York, will be able to provide funding to offset these losses.
The Governor is calling for Congressional Republicans to make the right choice and extend Enhanced Premium Tax Credits that help make insurance more affordable for New Yorkers.
Regional Breakdown of Increased Monthly Health Care Costs:
Region
Average Monthly Cost Increase For a Couple ($)
Average Monthly Cost Increase For a Couple (%)
New York City
$211
38%
Mid-Hudson
$206
31%
Long Island
$219
32%
Capital Region
$231
33%
Western New York
$267
38%
Central New York
$256
43%
Finger Lakes
$248
42%
Mohawk Valley
$270
49%
Southern Tier
$265
48%
North Country
$253
44%
Statewide
$228
38%
New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald said,“I thank Governor Hochul for standing up for New Yorkers who rely on the Affordable Care Act’s enhanced premium tax credits to keep their health care costs affordable. These are hardworking everyday people who deserve affordable health insurance. The start of the open enrollment period is fast approaching and without immediate action at the federal level, the threat of increased premiums is quickly becoming a reality. Allowing these enhanced premium tax credits to expire will be devastating for hardworking New Yorkers who will be forced to choose between paying for food, rent or paying for the health care they need to survive.”
New York City, one of several anchor protests among some 2700 “No Kings” protests and rallies nationwide, drew an estimated 350,000, stretching three miles down 7th Avenue. In all, some 7 million participated in what is considered the largest peacetime protest against a sitting president in history.
They represented the diversity of everyday New Yorkers and carried signs declaring they are taking back the inalienable rights of Americans. Signs mocked Trump, the Trump Administration and MAGA Republicans who tried to brand the protesters as “un-American,”, “unpatriotic” and “antifa” (“Aunt Tifa says No Kings”) with a broad coalition standing perhaps for different interests (science, public education, women’s rights, immigrant rights, due process and law and order, climate and the environment) but all with the same message: they are proudly anti-Fascist, just like 1776 and 1941 and want to reclaim democracy, inalienable rights, the rule of law, “We the People” and “Justice for All.”
Let the people and the signs speak for themselves:
New York City, one of several anchor protests among some 2700 “No Kings” protests and rallies nationwide, drew an estimated 350,000, stretching three miles down 7th Avenue. In all, some 7 million participated in what is considered the largest peacetime protest against a sitting president in history.
They represented the diversity of everyday New Yorkers and carried signs declaring they are taking back the inalienable rights of Americans. Signs mocked Trump, the Trump Administration and MAGA Republicans who tried to brand the protesters as “un-American,”, “unpatriotic” and “antifa” (“Aunt Tifa says No Kings”) with a broad coalition standing perhaps for different interests (science, public education, women’s rights, immigrant rights, due process and law and order, climate and the environment) but all with the same message: they are proudly anti-Fascist, just like 1776 and 1941 and want to reclaim democracy, inalienable rights, the rule of law, “We the People” and “Justice for All.”
They were reacting to armed military in the streets and descending from Blackhawk helicopters in the night; individuals snatched up by masked men wielding assault weapons without warrants but based on what they looked like, wore or where they lived or worked; children as young as six handcuffed and taken or left alone on the street; protesters gassed and violently assaulted for exercising their freedoms. They were reacting to billions of dollars and tens of thousands of federal workers slashed from healthcare, public education, research, environment and infrastructure to give billionaires tax credits and fund the emerging police/military state. They were reacting to malicious prosecutions of political opponents, charges against fund-raising groups of financing terrorism, labeling Democrats, liberals and progressives as “terrorists.” They were standing up to protect their “inalienable rights” of free speech, free press, to protest and assemble, and most significantly, the right to vote. They were standing up for “We the People” and “justice for all” just as the founding documents promised.
What was striking is that these were ordinary, everyday people. Families with their young children, young, middle-aged and old, every race and ethnicity.
There was good cheer, good humor, clever signs and costumes! Many reflected the desire for America to return to a place of kindness, compassion, empathy (“Make America America Again”) and the marchers manifested that with their own kindness, civility, compassion for each other.
Meanwhile (as MSNBC reported), it was “business as usual” for Trump – going to his Mar-a-Lago estate (where he illegally stored stolen classified documents), fundraising and playing golf, as he reveled in the hardship, suffering of others by keeping the government shut down and uses it as an opportunity to attack Democrats and kill “Democrat programs” – you know, things like healthcare, public education, clean energy, violence prevention, counter-terrorism, cancer research, climate change mitigation and disaster aid.
Trump is also cutting billions of dollars in previously allocated funding for infrastructure projects in Blue states and cities (including the $18 billion Hudson Gateway Tunnel) and on Friday, cancelled $11 billion more projects in New York City, Baltimore, San Francisco and Boston, prompting many in the Blue “donor” states (which send more tax dollars to Washington than they get back in federal funding) to start talking about withholding federal tax money, since Trump is weaponizing Democrats’ tax money against them. (His attempt to withhold funding for counter-terrorism in NYC was stalled by a court but Trump feels he has an ace in the hole with his Imperial Supremes.)
There was also a sense of urgency to take back rule of law, due process, and democracy before they are lost altogether. People worry that Trump is already rigging the midterms and will only build on what he tried to do on January 6, 2021 to keep power (why else is he building a $250 million ballroom at the White House, paving over the Rose Garden, building arches in Washington DC, and spending $1 billion to retrofit the Qatari Air Force 1?). But there is also the urgency of now because so much of the damage has already been done – to our world standing, to our economic power, to peoples’ livelihoods and lives, to our leadership in technology and innovation as the US faces the kind of brain drain that Germany experienced with the rise of Nazism.
As if to prove the point, Trump put an exclamation mark on it by his latest demonstration of pardoning criminals who support him and prosecuting and persecuting anyone who opposes him, criticizes him, or dares to prosecute his criminality and abuse of power. He had just freed the fraudster George Santos (forgiving the $350,000 in restitution Santos owed his victims) and bombed yet another vessel in Caribbean waters, continuing to extra-judicially assassinate people he claims are “narco-terrorists” without evidence, yet sent back two survivors to their home countries (so not really drug traffickers?), and gleefully declares that fishermen are now too afraid to put their boats in the water. And as his tariffs bankrupt American soybean farmers and his Big Beautiful cuts to healthcare cause health insurance premiums to double and triple, causing millions to lose their healthcare altogether, he is doling out $40 billion to Argentina to prop up its corrupt president, spending $172 million on private luxury jets for Kristi Noem, and millions to gild the White House and hold a vanity military parade.
Americans are worried that Trump’s militarization of the streets is aimed at provoking violent response to give him the excuse he craves to invoke the Insurrection Act and unleash martial law to intimidate people from going to the polls in the midterms so that Republicans keep control of the House and Senate. Actor and activist Robert DeNiro, a major supporter of the No Kings protest, said on MSNBC these massive No Kings protests, showing solidarity and community, are meant to make people feel comfortable, empowered and determined to exercise their right to vote.
The question remains what Trump’s enablers, the Congressional Republicans, see. Do they even care about voters or do they have confidence the elections are sufficiently rigged? They clearly don’t care about their constituents who are suffering because of their complicity in Trump’s unconstitutional abuse of power, from his illegal tariffs that are tanking the economy and inflating prices, to sending military to fire upon Americans in their communities, to firing federal workers, to cancelling billions of dollars of their own Congressionally appropriated funding to Democratic states, cities and universities, to his rampant, corrupt pay-to-play deal making, to the malicious, vindictive prosecution of his enemies, obstruction of justice and evisceration of due process and the rule of law.
We know what the dictator wannabe Trump sees. He proudly posted images of himself and Vance wearing crowns and Jeffries and Schumer wearing sombreros (which should show Latinos who elected him in 2024 how he disrespects them), and when the New York Times asked for his comment, White House spokesman Abigail Jackson responded in an email, “Who cares.”
That’s the statement of someone who doesn’t care about votes, or elections, or courts because he believes he is all-powerful. It’s the “Whadya gonna do ‘bout it” principle of governance. As he told Christians in the 2024 campaign just vote for him once more and “you don’t have to vote again. We’ll have it fixed so good, you’re not gonna have to vote” and warmly embraced Chief Justice Roberts at the State of the Union, telling him “I won’t forget.”
Trump’s authoritarianism should come as no surprise, though. In the 2024 campaign, Trump said he wanted to tear up the Constitution and be a dictator on Day 1.
Trump and the MAGA Republicans have demonstrated that their interest is ruling, not governing and they seem quite comfortable in believing they will be able to suppress the vote and control elections (and the vote count) enough to maintain control (gerrymandering to eliminate Democratic districts, instituting stringent ID requirements, tampering with mail-in voting, making polling places less accessible, and now, the major electronic voting machine company, Dominion, has been taken over by a Republican operative, so like all their accusations, “They are rigging the election” is a confession.)
Nationwide, organizers (some 200 groups led by Indivisible, Moveon, 50501) estimated a 7 million (topping the 5 million of the June event) in 2700 cities, towns and villages across all 50 states, making it the largest peacetime protest in history. Rallies were also held in other countries.
“Today, millions of Americans stood together to reject authoritarianism and remind the world that our democracy belongs to the people, not to one man’s ambition,” Ezra Levin and Leah Greenberg, co-founders of Indivisible, which helped organize the event, said in a statement.
Notably, the New York Police Department reported zero arrests.
Governor Kathy Hochul today called out Washington Republicans for cutting critical safety and security funding for New York’s mass transit system. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) had been slated to receive $34 million in federal Transit Security Grant Program funds, which support essential counter-terror and transit security functions. Last week, lawmakers were notified that the MTA was to be the only agency of 21 applicants nationwide to not receive federal security dollars via this program.
“Keeping New Yorkers safe, from our streets to our subways, is my highest priority,” Governor Hochul said. “Since 9/11, New York has relied on federal support to ensure that our transit system has the counterterrorism resources it needs to keep millions of riders safe every single day. The shocking actions of Washington Republicans to slash these funds and defund the police put New York City at risk. We will not tolerate these cuts; New York will take every action available to us — including the courts — to ensure the MTA gets this critical funding to keep millions of riders safe.”
The Transit Security Grant Program was started after 9/11. Administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), these grants support critical functions to keep mass transit systems safe from security threats. The MTA carries a significant portion of the United States’ mass transit riders, with over 6 million daily trips taken on Metro-North, the Long Island Rail Road, and New York City Transit. In addition to approximately $12 million which would go to the NYPD, the MTA had planned to utilize this year’s grant funding to support the following public safety and counter-terror investments:
Two cybersecurity projects, extending cyber visibility into MTA’s key systems, and a cyber lab to develop protections and vet operational technology systems.
The procurement and deployment of approximately 330 tactical cellular cameras to replace & expand upon current unsecure offline devices in a cost-effective manner.
The expansion of MTA weapons of mass destruction chemical detection system across 9 subway lines and a commuter rail terminal.
The TSA mandated frontline security awareness training of 16,000 MTA employees.
374 deployments of MTAPD counterterrorism teams.
The procurement of 3 MTAPD counterterrorism coordination and response vehicles.
The installation of several hundred cameras, access control points, and laser intrusion detection systems at a major subway complex.
“What the federal government is doing to us is a stark moment of hypocrisy, literally threatening our ability to keep these operations safe, our ability to protect public transit riders compromised,” Governor Hochul said during a press conference. “Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is trying her very best to slash $35 million in funds for security on subway system–a person who swore an oath, as we all did, to protect Americans.
“Clearly defunding police without justification has no rational other than to punish blue states like New York. Of the 20 regions that applied for security funding, New York is the only one that has been denied.”
Governor Hochul chided the seven Republican New York members of Congress who pretend to “back the blue” and be the party of “law and order” for not standing up against these cuts.
Just this week, Attorney General Pam Bondi, deflecting from questioning from Senate Democrats on the Oversight Committee, repeated the meme that Democrats want to defund police. But it is Trump, her Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security that are defunding police and public safety in cities and states led by Democrats.
“We are the #1 terror target in America – not just 9/11, but countless cases have thwarted. We are safer because of the invested dollars from federal, city and state together. That’s what is in jeopardy – our safety compromised.”
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said, “The NYPD’s counterterrorism operations are essential to keeping people safe both above ground and below ground on our subways. Withholding these critical funds from the busiest transit system in the country is a profound mistake, and one that will make New York City’s subways meaningfully less safe. Counterterrorism operations – and public safety in general – cannot be politicized, and I thank Governor Hochul for her efforts to ensure the NYPD has the resources it needs to protect New Yorkers.”
Tisch said that eight terror plots against the New York City subway system have been foiled since 9/11.
Following initial reporting that the MTA would not receive Transit Security Grant Program funding, the Office of the New York Attorney General filed suit in the Southern District of New York, which issued a Temporary Restraining Order barring FEMA from executing the cuts. To date, FEMA has not formally notified the MTA that their funding has been restored.
New York State and the NYPD continue to make significant investments in subway safety. These investments, which support an ongoing surge of NYPD officers in the subway system — including overnight train patrols announced by Governor Hochul in her 2025 State of the State address — have succeeded in reducing transit crime to historic lows in 2025. In 2022, Governor Hochul directed the MTA to install cameras in all 6,000 of its subway cars, which it completed last year. To further enhance safety, this year, the MTA began installing brighter, safer LED lights in all 472 subway stations as well as platform edge barriers to improve customer safety at 100 stations throughout the system.
Subway crime in September was down 31 percent from September 2024, and year-to-date, crime is down 4.3 percent compared to 2024. This summer was the safest summer in the subway since 2009, with major crimes down nearly 10 percent from 2024. Felony assaults in the transit system were down in September, and were down every month this summer when compared with the same month last year.
“Under Governor Hochul’s leadership, MTA has made huge progress on every front – safety, reliability and ridership,” MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said. “It’s truly strange that Washington keeps spinning stories about subway crime, but then defunds the NYPD and MTA cops who patrol the system.”
MTA Chief Security Officer Michael Kemper said, “I can’t overstate the importance of this grant funding in reinforcing and advancing our counterterrorism initiatives. It significantly enhances our operational capabilities, all with the goal of providing a safe and secure transit environment for our riders and workforce — a responsibility we take seriously every single day.”
Last week, Governor Hochul successfully fought to restore $187 million in critical counterterrorism and homeland security funding cuts which had been planned by the Department of Homeland Security. These unprecedented cuts would have had a direct impact on public safety agencies throughout the state.
Here’s the deal: New Yorkers will hardly notice a government shut down because the trump administration has effectively cut off funding, has already effectively shuttered agencies and government services, canceled investments, fired so many federal workers and experts so that important agencies like Social Security, Medicare and the IRS are barely able to function. (Unlike President Biden whose biggest investment legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, sent 2/3 of funding into Red states – for which he got no credit.) Now trump and the MAGA Republicans are barreling toward their wet dream of repealing Obamacare without actually having to go through the process of voting, while shoving a budget down the throats of Americans that will upend health care and public health – moving back to making access to health care a privilege, not a right.
After cutting Democrats out of actual budget negotiations for months, their claim to just pass the CR and have weeks more to negotiate is pure deception, they are blaming Democrats for the shutdown by lying (as usual) that Democrats want “Cadillac health benefits for illegal immigrants.” Not at all. Democrats are fighting to prevent the hike in health insurance premiums coming as soon as this month – a 60-year old couple earning $85,000 will see their health insurance premium increase to $27,000 – making insurance unaffordable. This is part and parcel of a trump administration “whole of government” plan to make Americans weaker, sicker, poorer, and if possible die off sooner rather than be a financial burden.
Moreover, Trump has already defied the Constitution and clawed back Congressional appropriations, while Republicans have proven to be untrustworthy. The Democrats have learned their lesson and heard their constituents who are pleading for them to stand up to this lawless, cruel administration.– Karen Rubin, news-photos-features.com
Governor Kathy Hochul and New Yorkers rallied today to call out President Trump and Washington Republicans for turning their backs on Americans and shutting down the federal government. After bending the knee to Trump’s reckless trade war and devastating Big Ugly Bill, Republicans in Congress are once again abandoning their constituents to enact further pain and chaos at the behest of the Trump Administration.
“After voting to gut food assistance and healthcare for millions of New Yorkers, Republicans in Congress – including seven members from New York – are once again recklessly siding with Donald Trump to shut down the federal government. Republicans were given another chance to stand up for their constituents, yet they chose to leave town rather than work in good faith to avoid a government shutdown,” Governor Hochul said. “The GOP shutdown will have devastating effects on workers, small businesses and families throughout our state. Washington Republicans need to do their damn jobs, actually stand up for the people they serve, and come to the table to end this shutdown.”
Trump and Congressional Republicans have already inflicted pain on New York. Their agenda:
Strips 1.5 million New Yorkers of their health coverage
Puts 300,000 New Yorkers at risk of losing SNAP benefits
Burdens hospitals with over $3 billion annually in uncompensated care costs
Slashes $8 billion from the State health system per year
Threatens an $11 billion hit to overall economic activity, including agriculture and food industries, due to the loss of SNAP benefits
And this shutdown will cause even more destruction:
With more than 115,000 federal employees in New York State, tens of thousands will be furloughed, while essential federal employees, including air traffic controllers and TSA employees, will be forced to work without pay
Pauses or delays in the processing of applications for Social Security, veterans benefits, and other federal benefits
Critical programs, such as SNAP and WIC, are at risk of running out of funds and pausing benefits in the event of an extended shutdown
Threatens funding for Head Start programs across the state, jeopardizing childcare and early education for thousands of New York families
Hospitals across the state will be left waiting for federal reimbursements
Creates uncertainty for hundreds of thousands of families and seniors with housing vouchers or that reside in public housing who will be worried whether their rent will be paid
Farmers left without emergency aid while facing detrimental trade policies
Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “Today’s government shutdown is the direct result of ongoing chaos in Washington and a lack of leadership. This shutdown will have a rippling effect, and it is the Republican Party who must be held responsible, including the seven GOP members of Congress from New York, and the party infrastructure here at home that enables them. This is not about smart governance, this is about their insensitivity to the cruelty and pain they are inflicting on their fellow Americans. This shutdown will force workers to go without paychecks, seniors to go without food, veterans to go without healthcare, and countless communities to suffer in numerous ways because of their political games. While here in New York, we will continue to do everything in our power to stand up for our people. The truth is that the effects of this shutdown will be devastating, and no state will have enough resources to undo every wrong that Washington Republicans are committing. I implore New York’s Republican Representatives to stop enabling this cruelty, to stand up for America, and to put people over party. The people of New York, and this country, deserve nothing less.”
State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky said, “I know how many working families depend on basic needs—putting food on the table, having health care they can count on, and having access to housing they can afford. President Trump, meanwhile, is more concerned with escalators, fake science, and Jimmy Kimmel more than the millions of New Yorkers about to lose their healthcare and SNAP benefits. Republicans control both houses of Congress, and this reckless shutdown robs families of security. We must hold them accountable for preferring chaos over common sense.”
State Senator Liz Krueger said, “This MAGA Shutdown is just the latest example of the damage being done to regular New Yorkers by Donald Trump’s policies that put his billionaire donors first and the American people last. While Democrats in Washington are standing up for families about to lose their health insurance, Republicans are doing their utmost to take it away and make life harder, all while Trump’s reckless flailing drives up inflation and puts the economy on the edge of recession. Enough is enough.”
New York State AFL-CIO President Mario Cilento said, “I want to thank Governor Hochul for consistently demonstrating the kind of leadership we urgently need, a stark contrast to the void of leadership in Washington. To be clear, this shutdown and all the pain it will cause lies squarely on the Administration and Congressional Republicans. Their calculated, cruel, and chaotic decisions will harm every American as healthcare costs soar. In addition, this will lead to the loss of jobs for countless dedicated public servants, whom we deeply respect and appreciate, and put at risk the vital services they provide to the American people. We need united leadership that will bring people together and prioritize the needs of everyday working people. The Union Movement in New York State stands together. We will fight this outrageous assault on working people with all the strength of our collective resolve.”
DC37 Executive Director Henry Garrido said, “Our members are the backbone of this city and this country — dedicated public workers who care for the sick, educate our children, keep our streets safe, and ensure our communities thrive. President Trump’s reckless government shutdown disrespects the very people who make this nation work. Shutting down the government is not leadership — it’s a failure to value working families and protect them from harm. At DC 37, we stand united with all public workers across this country. We demand respect, dignity, and an end to using our livelihoods as political pawns. Social justice is a union issue — and this injustice will not go unanswered.”
32BJ SEIU President Manny Pastreich said, “The Republicans who control the House, Senate and White House are playing with the health and livelihoods of millions of Americans. Over 22 million Americans are about to see their health care premiums skyrocket by an average of 75 percent because Republicans will not extend Affordable Care Act premium tax credits, and direct and contracted government workers are at risk of losing their much-needed paychecks. 32BJ SEIU represents approximately 2,400 hard-working federally contracted security officers, office cleaners, and food service workers across multiple states and D.C. – workers who would bear the brunt of a Republican-created government shutdown. Not only do 32BJ members earn less than direct federal employees, but they also would be ineligible to receive backpay. A government shutdown would turn their lives upside down, forcing many to risk eviction, have their utilities turned off and leave them unable to feed themselves and their families. In New York, we represent hardworking security officers and cleaners at the Statue of Liberty, the Federal Reserve and other federal offices who would be impacted.
State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal said, “Donald Trump and his minions recklessly shut down the federal government, and its ordinary New Yorkers who will pay the price. As Trump holds the federal budget hostage and demands cuts to vital health care funding, nearly 3 million New Yorkers face losing access to the SNAP benefits that provide them groceries, New York federal courts may be unable to administer justice, New York housing project approvals may grind to a halt because of a housing loan application freeze, New York small businesses may face closure because they are unable to obtain federal loans, New York travelers may face undue delays at airports because of staffing shortages, and the 16 million annual visitors to New York national parks and historic sites will be shut out. All this to say nothing of the nearly 185,000 federal workers in New York who may go without pay. I stand with Governor Hochul and other elected officials to demand that Donald Trump and his cronies stop selling out New Yorkers and re-open the government as soon as possible.”
State Senator Roxanne J. Persaud said, “Putting politics over people with a reckless shutdown threatens the health, food security, and livelihoods of millions of New Yorkers. This is a cruel betrayal of working families, and we should not stay silent while our communities are left to suffer.”
State Senator Peter Harkham said, “In just nine months, President Trump and the Republicans in Congress have inflicted immeasurable damage to the health, safety and security of New Yorkers. Their chaotic and cruel governance ignores the rule of law and serves the ultra-rich while life becomes more precarious each day for too many statewide. True to their character, the administration and its allies are already blaming everyone except themselves for the wreckage they will be causing and lives being severely impacted with a government shutdown.”
State Senator Brian Kavanagh said, “The reckless, destructive actions of the Trump administration and Republican majorities in both houses of Congress over the past nine months have threatened the housing stability, healthcare, and food security of countless Americans. Their decision to shut down the federal government will only cause more pointless harm. I am proud to stand with Governor Kathy Hochul and our colleagues here in New York to oppose these destructive actions and to work to ensure that the government we’ve been elected to lead continues to provide critical resources and offer solutions to the big problems we face.”
State Senator John Liu said, “After slashing healthcare funding in the Big Ugly Bill and terrorizing immigrants across the country with ICE attacks, President Trump’s Republican-controlled government is doubling down on its reckless and dangerous behavior by shutting down the government. This Republican-led shutdown will have devastating impacts on the institutions, programming, and services affecting all New Yorkers, from our hospitals to our farmers and families struggling to make ends meet. It’s abhorrent that New Yorkers, along with working people across the country, are being forced to pay the price for the GOP’s chaos and disorder.”
State Senator Shelley B. Mayer said, “A government shutdown will have significant adverse consequences for New Yorkers and Americans across our country. We need to be clear: to avoid a shutdown, there needs to be an agreement that protects New Yorkers from the disastrous impacts of the Trump agenda. And yet so far, the Administration will not agree to such an agreement. The Trump Administration and Congressional Majority have spent the last nine months pursuing an agenda that harms all New Yorkers ––stripping Medicaid coverage from 1.5 million New Yorkers, cutting SNAP benefits that feed thousands of our neighbors, threatening funding for our education system, and tearing apart immigrant families. A government shutdown will only cause further harm. I urge our Republican colleagues who represent New York to step up and reach a meaningful agreement that protects New Yorkers from this imminent harm.”
State Senator Jeremy Cooney said, “Because of reckless decisions in Washington, New Yorkers are suffering devastating consequences. More than 1.5 million New Yorkers have already lost access to health care. Nearly 3 million more are at risk of losing SNAP benefits, hospitals are strained, and farmers are being denied emergency services. Our communities deserve better, and we won’t stop fighting until they get exactly that.”
Assemblymember Rebecca A. Seawright said, “As Chair of the Committee on Aging, I am deeply concerned about the devastating impact this reckless shutdown will have on older New Yorkers. Seniors across our state depend on SNAP, housing assistance, and access to health care to live with dignity. Stripping away these lifelines is not only irresponsible — it is cruel. I stand with Governor Hochul and my colleagues in calling out Trump and Washington Republicans for putting politics over people and endangering the health, safety, and well-being of millions, especially our most vulnerable neighbors.”
Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi said, “President Trump and Washington Republicans, including New York’s GOP delegation, have led our country to the brink of a disaster. The last nine months have been a failure of leadership, and now as their party argues over petty grievances, millions of vulnerable New Yorkers will suffer. Today, the cost of their inability to govern will be 2.8 million New Yorkers losing SNAP benefits; hundreds of thousands of women and children left without the WIC nutrition program; tens of thousands of federal workers going without pay; and countless hospitals and farms facing financial ruin. Congressional Republicans must stay in Washington until they reach a deal that keeps the government funded and open, and does not destabilize access to healthcare, or food and nutrition programs.”
Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal said, “For someone who boasts about knowing the art of the deal, Donald Trump has proven completely feckless in running the government. We are just nine months into Trump’s presidency and the federal government has already shut down, millions are bracing for the loss of food assistance and over one million New Yorkers are preparing for the loss of their health insurance. Donald Trump and his Congressional puppets have made it clear that they have no interest in serving the needs of the American people, just using their power to benefit themselves and their billionaire friends. New Yorkers, and voters across the country, will remember this when Congressional elections are held next year. I am glad that Governor Hochul is once again fighting back and protecting New Yorkers against the dangers of this administration.”
Assemblymember Ron Kim said, “This federal administration has already cut funding for vital programs that keep New Yorkers safe and healthy, and a shutdown of the government for any length of time will cause devastating harm to countless people. I stand with Governor Hochul in urging our leaders in Congress to pass a funding measure that ensures the government can continue providing its indispensable services to all Americans while protecting their health care and other essential benefits.”
Assemblymember Michaelle C. Solages said, “The Trump Administration is gutting services, and Republicans in Congress are cheering it on with a reckless shutdown. Healthcare, SNAP, and WIC are lifelines, not political toys. If they keep choosing Trump over their own constituents, families will pay the price. I stand with Governor Hochul in demanding these funds stay protected.”
Assemblymember Harry B. Bronson said, “The attacks on the American people from President Trump and his administration have now come to a head with the federal government shutting down. I am proud to stand with my democratic colleagues at all levels of government to protect New Yorkers’ healthcare, jobs, and safety. This shutdown is the fault of President Trump and his accomplices. Their unwillingness to negotiate a fair budget and their commitment to eliminating healthcare for so many will have devastating financial impacts on our friends, families, and neighbors. Thank you, Governor Hochul, for your leadership to support New Yorkers when our President will not.”
Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn said, “President Trump and Washington Republicans are once again putting politics over people with this reckless shutdown. Here in Brooklyn, where so many families are already struggling, and now millions shall stand to lose food assistance, health care, and housing support. These cuts would be devastating for women, children, immigrants, New Yorkers who rely on SNAP and working families. I stand with Governor Kathy Hochul and my colleagues to demand an end to this crisis and protect our most vulnerable communities.”
Assemblymember Latrice Walker said, “If the government shutdown goes beyond a week, the WIC program will likely run out of money. It’s the nation’s signature nutrition program for low-income mothers and babies, servicing more than 440,000 New Yorkers – including constituents in my district. A prolonged shutdown would also cause nearly 3 million New Yorkers to lose their SNAP benefits. Housing vouchers will be delayed, putting people’s stability at risk. The shutdown will have a devastating impact on the most vulnerable Americans – a sadly predictable continuation of cruelty coming from President Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress. I urge lawmakers in Washington to come to an agreement before irrevocable damage is done to people who need the most help.”
Assemblymember Alicia L. Hyndman said, “This shutdown is not just reckless; it’s deeply harmful. New York families are bearing the brunt of Washington Republicans’ political maneuvering, with millions at risk of losing food assistance, health coverage, and housing support. I stand firmly with Governor Hochul and my Democratic colleagues in calling out this failure of leadership. We were elected to protect our constituents, not to play politics with their lives. It’s time to reject chaos and recommit to fighting for the dignity and stability every New Yorker deserves.”
Assemblymember Manny De Los Santos said, “As an Assembly Member for the 72nd District, I stand with Governor Hochul and New York Democrats in condemning Donald Trump and Washington Republicans for causing a government shutdown. This is more than politics — it hurts working families in Northern Manhattan and across New York State. Cutting health care, food, and housing support will devastate our communities. Families deserve stability, not chaos, and I’ll keep fighting to make sure every New Yorker has the resources they need to thrive.”
Assemblymember Al Taylor said, “A government shutdown isn’t an abstract headline, it’s an immediate hit to families in our communities who depend on food assistance, health care, and housing support. When Washington Republicans choose chaos over solutions, New Yorkers pay the price. From Harlem to Inwood, we know what’s at stake: it rips food off tables, puts health care out of reach, and takes stability away from families right here in New York. I am proud to stand with Governor Hochul in demanding that people’s needs come before partisan politics.”
Assemblyman Charles D. Fall said, “As a legislator committed to protecting and improving the lives of New Yorkers, I am appalled by the reckless, callous, and reprehensible actions of Republicans in Washington. This government shutdown is nothing short of immoral—it is cruelty disguised as politics from people who are supposed to serve the public. It renounces millions of Americans who rely on essential programs like SNAP, WIC, and housing vouchers—programs that prevent families from going hungry and keep them from sleeping on the streets. It denies emergency aid to hardworking farmers who feed this very nation. Rather than serving people Republicans swore an oath to protect, they have chosen political gamesmanship that inflicts real harm on vulnerable communities. Standing alongside this manufactured crisis is not leadership—it is cowardice, negligent, and a betrayal to the American people.”
Assemblymember Alex Bores said, “Trump’s disastrous agenda has harmed millions of New Yorkers and this shutdown will only exacerbate the problems he has caused. With Congress controlled by powers that would harm our state, New Yorkers should feel confident that their state government will continue to provide the everyday services they rely on, with or without help from Washington.”
Assemblymember Jenifer Rajkumar said, “The lives of millions of New Yorkers are at risk today due to an ideological game of brinkmanship playing out in Washington. Continuity of government is essential to our democracy, yet this shutdown is taking food out of the mouths of our fellow New Yorkers, pulling the plug on our healthcare system, picking the pockets of women and children, and giving the boot to people needing housing assistance. For the sake of New York and our nation, we must rise above the extremism permeating politics, and orient our moral compass to common sense, unity, and problem-solving. I am proud to partner with Governor Hochul to deliver real solutions to uplift New Yorkers. Together, New York will stand up to Washington extremists and be the epicenter of the unifying, practical leadership our Nation needs.”
Assemblymember Grace Lee said, “Trump and Republicans in Washington are once again putting politics before people. This reckless shutdown will harm millions of New Yorkers, stripping away food assistance, health care, and critical support for women and children. I stand with Governor Hochul to hold Republicans accountable for the damage they are causing to our communities.”
Assemblymember Nikki Lucas said, “A government shutdown is not only reckless, but completely irresponsible on the part of Washington Republicans and President Trump. This is just another example of them putting the people of these United States last. I urge House Democrats to stay strong and continue fighting back. The residents of district 60 in East New York, Brownsville and Canarsie, like communities across our city and country, are relying on all of us to be responsible stewards of their present and future.”
Assemblymember Larinda C. Hooks said, “This shutdown is more than a government issue, it’s a family issue. It means parents worried about whether they can take their child to the doctor, seniors questioning if they can afford their medicine, and neighbors wondering how they’ll put food on the table. In times like these, our communities deserve stability and peace of mind. As a democrat, I will stand firm and not bend to the will of the Washington Republicans who intend to take away the people’s ability to survive.”
Assemblymember Tony Simone said, “Donald Trump and Congressional Republicans have betrayed the American people. This stunning refusal to ensure our hard earned tax dollars be used to keep our hospitals and farms running, to keep children from going hungry, to keep housing aid from the most vulnerable among us, all in the name of tax cuts for the wealthy and an ego-driven trade war, is shameful and outright theft from our pockets.”
Assemblymember John Zaccaro, Jr. said, “President Trump’s government shutdown is nothing short of a dereliction of his duty and his oath of office. New Yorkers, many of whom live in the Bronx, have already been devastated by the President’s reckless agenda. Now, the President wants to shut down the government—forcing nearly 2.8 million New Yorkers to lose SNAP benefits, putting 442,000 women and children who rely on WIC at risk, delaying housing vouchers, stalling hospitals waiting for federal reimbursements, and leaving farmers without emergency aid. The President is willing to decimate the working class and shut down the government simply to hand his billionaire and millionaire cronies a tax break.”
Assemblymember Micah Lasher said, “Trump and Congressional Republicans have hijacked the federal government and stripped it for parts. They’ve robbed 1.5 million New Yorkers of their health coverage and taken food stamps from hundreds of thousands more — all while making billions for Donald Trump and his family and giving tax breaks to Trump’s rich friends. They now seek to pass the most unfair, unconscionable spending bill we have ever seen. No one who is a patriot should go along for this ride,” said Assemblymember Micah Lasher. “We in New York believe in making sure working families have the basic necessities, not bigger yachts for Trump and his pals. We demand that Congress put an end to the cruelty and the corruption.”
Assemblymember Emerita Torres said, “New Yorkers deserve leaders who will fight for them, not politicians who undermine their livelihoods. A federal government shutdown will strip vital services and programs from millions of New York families, including healthcare and food programs, as well as veteran support. As a former federal worker who was furloughed during Trump’s first government shutdown, I know firsthand the stress and financial uncertainty these reckless political stunts can cause. While Republicans continue to follow Trump’s dangerous agenda, I stand with the Governor and New York Democrats in putting our communities first.”
Department of Homeland Security Cuts Critical Counterterrorism and Homeland Security Funding in New York State by 86% or $187 Million
Funding Directly Supports Intelligence Operations, Transit Hub Security, as well as Equipment Purchases, Training and Preparedness Efforts for Counties, Sheriffs and Police Departments
New York Joins With Multi-State Coalition To Seek Injunction on Dangerous Cuts to Critical Counterterrorism and Homeland Security Funding
Governor Kathy Hochul today called out President Donald Trump and U.S. Department of Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem following $187 million in cuts to critical counterterrorism funding in New York that directly impacts the safety and security of New Yorkers, reducing New York’s allocation by 86 percent to $30 million. These unprecedented cuts will have a direct impact on public safety agencies throughout the state, including a projected $100 million cut to the NYPD, a projected $15 million cut to the FDNY, a projected $13 million cut to Joint Task Force Empire Shield, no projected funding for any of New York State’s 12 certified bomb squads and millions of dollars in cuts that directly support counties, sheriffs and police departments.
“A Republican administration literally defunding the police is the height of hypocrisy — and walking away from the fight against terrorism in the number one terrorist target in America is utterly shocking,” Governor Hochul said. “Any New York House Republican who doesn’t immediately act to get this funding restored is complicit in making their constituents less safe.”
In response, and through a partnership with New York State Attorney General Letitia James, New York joined a multi-state coalition of 11 other states in suing to stop the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) from illegally depriving states from hundreds of millions of dollars under the federal Homeland Security Grant Program for refusal to support the administration’s immigration agenda.
Additionally, the Governor issued a letter to Secretary Noem demanding transparency and accountability on these cuts, as well as their full restoration.
The funding, provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency through its Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP), supports local law enforcement and regional homeland security preparedness efforts, including intelligence operations, mass gathering security, planning, equipment purchases, and training critical to sustaining and improving community prevention, protection, response and recovery capabilities. HSGP is comprised of three separate grants –– the SHSP, UASI and Operation Stonegarden. Under SHSP and UASI, 80 percent of the funding is allocated to local entities while 20 percent is reserved for state projects.
Following an extended delay, DHS released the 2025 Notice of Funding Opportunity for HSGP giving states the ability to access this critical funding, however despite being the nation’s number one terrorist target, New York’s allocation was cut by 40 percent ($87 million). Then, without notice nor explanation, New York was cut an additional $102.7 million when DHS issued the awards on September 27.
These unprecedented cuts were contained within the State Homeland Security Program (SHSP) and Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) portions of the program and will have a direct impact on public safety agencies throughout the state, including:
A projected $100 million cut to the NYPD including deep cuts to intelligence analysts and the NYPD’s counterterrorism unit.
A projected $15 million cut to the FDNY including deep cuts to interoperable communication and radiological response.
A projected $13 million cut to Joint Task Force Empire Shield which is the program that funds the New York National Guard presence in transit hubs.
There is no projected funding this year for any of New York State’s 12 certified bomb squads.
Millions of dollars in cuts that directly support equipment purchases, training, exercises and preparedness efforts for counties, sheriffs and police departments.
UASI Cut
In New York, UASI funding is reserved for jurisdictions within the New York City metropolitan areas to sustain and enhance critical anti-terrorism and intelligence sharing programs.
Under the FY 2025 awards, New York is set to receive $22,069,395 in UASI funding, representing an 85.9 percent cut from 2024’s award of $156,131,176. Allocations are determined by New York’s Urban Area Working Group which is comprised of New York City, Nassau County, Suffolk County, Westchester County, the City of Yonkers and the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
The funding at risk, based on 2024 funding levels, is as follows:
2024 UASI Local Allocations
Specific Allocation by Jurisdiction:
Nassau County
$2,314,373
Suffolk County
$2,314,373
Westchester County
$2,314,373
City of Yonkers
$2,314,373
Port Authority of NY & NJ
$9,313,368
New York City
$118,451,583
SHSP Cut
In New York, SHSP funding is directed to every county and the City of New York to support planning, equipment purchases, training, and other homeland security initiatives.
Under the FY 2025 awards, New York is set to receive $5,624,924 in SHSP funding, representing a 90.8 percent cut from 2024’s award of $61,229,940. Funding distributions are formula based and ensure funding goes to every county in New York State.
SHSP Cuts by County
Jurisdiction
FY2024 Total Award Amount
PROJECTED FY2025 SHSP Award Amount
PROJECTED Overall Cut from FY2024-FY2025
Albany County
$945,873
$89,585
-$856,288
Allegany County
$59,750
$5,659
-$54,091
Broome County
$311,551
$29,508
-$282,043
Cattaraugus County
$136,570
$12,935
-$123,635
Cayuga County
$132,303
$12,531
-$119,772
Chautauqua County
$170,713
$16,169
-$154,544
Chemung County
$145,106
$13,743
-$131,363
Chenango County
$93,892
$8,893
-$84,999
Clinton County
$128,035
$12,126
-$115,909
Columbia County
$76,821
$7,276
-$69,545
Cortland County
$51,215
$4,851
-$46,364
Delaware County
$85,356
$8,084
-$77,272
Dutchess County
$574,070
$54,371
-$519,699
Erie County
$1,879,306
$177,993
-$1,701,313
Essex County
$102,428
$9,701
-$92,727
Franklin County
$59,750
$5,659
-$54,091
Fulton County
$72,553
$6,872
-$65,681
Genesee County
$98,160
$9,297
-$88,863
Greene County
$98,160
$9,297
-$88,863
Hamilton County
$42,678
$4,042
-$38,636
Herkimer County
$76,821
$7,276
-$69,545
Jefferson County
$110,964
$10,510
-$100,454
Lewis County
$46,946
$4,446
-$42,500
Livingston County
$128,035
$12,126
-$115,909
Madison County
$106,696
$10,105
-$96,591
Monroe County
$963,711
$91,275
-$872,436
Montgomery County
$102,428
$9,701
-$92,727
Nassau County
$1,820,278
$172,402
-$1,647,876
Niagara County
$418,135
$39,602
-$378,533
New York City
$30,135,400
$2,854,183
-$27,281,217
Oneida County
$226,103
$21,415
-$204,688
Onondaga County
$650,892
$61,647
-$589,245
Ontario County
$170,714
$16,169
-$154,545
Orange County
$924,546
$87,566
-$836,980
Orleans County
$89,625
$8,489
-$81,136
Oswego County
$166,445
$15,764
-$150,681
Otsego County
$93,892
$8,893
-$84,999
Putnam County
$234,731
$22,232
-$212,499
Rensselaer County
$478,934
$45,361
-$433,573
Rockland County
$635,907
$60,228
-$575,679
Saratoga County
$247,535
$23,445
-$224,090
Schenectady County
$479,505
$45,415
-$434,090
Schoharie County
$81,089
$7,680
-$73,409
Schuyler County
$46,946
$4,446
-$42,500
Seneca County
$51,215
$4,851
-$46,364
St. Lawrence County
$157,910
$14,956
-$142,954
Steuben County
$110,965
$10,510
-$100,455
Suffolk County
$1,180,103
$111,770
-$1,068,333
Sullivan County
$179,249
$16,977
-$162,272
Tioga County
$59,750
$5,659
-$54,091
Tompkins County
$98,160
$9,297
-$88,863
Ulster County
$230,463
$21,828
-$208,635
Warren County
$68,285
$6,467
-$61,818
Washington County
$68,285
$6,467
-$61,818
Wayne County
$145,106
$13,743
-$131,363
Westchester County
$1,367,888
$129,555
-$1,238,333
Wyoming County
$59,750
$5,659
-$54,091
Yates County
$34,143
$3,234
-$30,909
TOTAL
$47,511,840
$4,499,939
-$43,011,901
Senator Charles Schumer said,“Putting the safety of New Yorkers at risk by ripping away vital anti-terror funds is a new low for Donald Trump. New York remains a top terror target, and it is reckless and dangerous to slash the vital federal support law enforcement needs to be prepared and stop attacks. As threats of international and domestic terror persist and lives hang in the balance, Trump’s FEMA is choosing political games over public safety. These cuts must be immediately reversed. The safety of New Yorkers depends on it.”
Senator Kirstin Gillibrand said,“The Homeland Security Grant Program is a critical source of funding to keep New Yorkers safe and improve our preparedness, prevention, protection, response, and recovery capabilities across the state. I am deeply concerned that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has cut $189 million in counterterrorism funding for New York State, and I am committed to working with the governor to fight for the restoration of this funding.”
“The federal government’s decision to play politics with critical counter-terrorism funds betrays our state’s law enforcement and emergency response teams who work hard every day to keep New Yorkers safe. I joined a coalition of my fellow attorneys general to sue DHS to stop these destructive funding cuts and I thank Governor Hochul for her commitment to protecting New Yorkers,” New York State Attorney General Letitia James said,
Albany County Executive Daniel P. McCoy said,“I want to thank Governor Hochul for speaking out on an issue that couldn’t be more important: keeping our communities safe. The decision by President Trump’s Department of Homeland Security to pull funding from local police and critical counterterrorism programs is deeply troubling. These grants save lives and ensure our law enforcement have the tools they need. Public safety has to come before politics, and I stand with the Governor in calling on Washington to do the right thing and restore this funding.”
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins said, “It is outrageous that in the shadow of mourning those we lost on 9/11, the Trump administration is slashing Homeland Security and police funding to New York State by 90%. Here in Westchester County we will see our funding drop from $1.367 million to just $130,000 because of these reckless cuts. Homeland security isn’t an abstract idea for New Yorkers — it is our lived reality. Now more than ever, we need our congressional representatives to honor the promise they made to 9/11 victims and their families – to never forget, and to keep New York safe. Keeping New York safe means investing in homeland security, we call on the federal government and our congressional delegation to restore this critical funding immediately.”
“Cutting nearly $900,000 from funding that supports our local law enforcement partners is reckless and dangerous,” Albany County District Attorney Lee C. Kindlon said. “This money funds training and critical infrastructure that makes our communities safer and more prepared to respond to threats, and this is certainly not a time to pull back on readiness.”
Schenectady County Legislature Chair Gary Hughes said, “This funding is essential to supporting our Emergency Management Office—from fire and EMS coordination to hazmat response and emergency preparedness training that brings together public health, schools, hospitals, and other community partners. Cuts of this magnitude put critical public safety and preparedness efforts at risk—not just here in Schenectady County, but across the entire state.”
“I am concerned by the decision to make significant cuts to counterterrorism efforts. Our agency receives nearly $2.4M a year in federal grants that are passed through NYS to MCSO,” Monroe County Sheriff Todd K. Baxter said. “Grants that support our bomb squad, traffic safety, crimes against children, human trafficking, narcotics investigations, the purchase of specialized vehicles and equipment, as well as training exercises. However, most importantly, funding that is necessary to perform our work trying to identify and prevent acts of targeted violence. These are crucial dollars for essential programs. At a time of increased challenges and risks to public safety, we believe these cuts will create significant gaps in our emergency preparedness.”
Despite losing $1.6 million in public safety funding, Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman, was notably missing. The Republican, who has bent over backwards to appease Trump and attack Democrats, is seeking reelection based on standing for fighting crime and lowering taxes (his record proves otherwise). Blakeman is challenged by Democrat Seth Koslow, County Legislator.
Each year for the past 20, there has been a respite, an oasis of hope, positivity, possibility and promise: the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). The invention of the Clinton Foundation, CGI devised a platform and mechanisms to actually solve the most intractable problems confronting the world, that politicians love to talk about but are too hamstrung to.
Each year there were challenges to overcome, but this year, there was an unusual pall over the gathering as the reality of backsliding on all the progress that has been made in health care, clean air and water (which 3 billion people lack), democracy, free press, conflict resolution, education, poverty, women’s rights and empowerment, gender rights, climate change, global migration. In many ways, there were the same topics of 20 years ago, but instead of focusing on the crisis in democracy, free press, disease and health care in developing countries across oceans, there was equal focus on the USA.
In the past, there have been American administrations which did not further the aims of a more just, equitable future in which each could fulfill their potential, but never in the past was an administration using the might and wealth its predecessors built to actively undermine and reverse the progress of 150 years.
They are up against huge forces – the US with just 5% of the world’s population, has amassed 35% of global wealth and generates 14% of the carbon emissions (down from 20% thanks to Obama and Biden) that so endanger public health, food and water supply, and created the disasters that forced millions to flee their homes, creating the migrant crisis that has destabilized liberal democratic governments.
The conference convened just a day after Donald Trump, who has made good on his fantasy to tear up the Constitution and become a “dictator on day 1”, who effectively made illegal DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion – foundational principles of CGI) and who clawed back billions in foreign aid and humanitarian aid, and withdrawn from agencies including the World Health Organization, addressed the United Nations (a “failed” organization). Trump told the General Assembly that climate change was a “hoax” and a “green scam” and that as nations, they should do what the US has done: evict migrants and shut their borders to refugees in order to preserve their “heritage” and nationhood or else, “your countries are going to hell.”
In the final CGI panel discussion, “We’re Next,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), recalled where he was on the day he heard (was not informed by Trump) that the USA, its largest donor, was withdrawing and taking with it its funding, immediately – not in six months to give the WHO time to reorganize. He noted that where he was when he heard was in Sana’a, capital of Yemen, when Israel bombed it, killing someone close to him and wounding others. It triggered memory as a child of war in his native country of Ethiopia –“the smell, image, even the sound” – when close relatives were killed, and reignited the PTSD.
“In 2020, with the first US withdrawal, the first round of cuts came, and war in my country and Covid. it was difficult situation. but if there is one thing that But I try to see what is beyond my control and focus on what I can do. It encourages me encourages me to do more as an individual.” And so he will figure out a way for the World Health Organization to continue to function.
Another child of war, President Vjosa Osmani of Kosovo told President Bill Clinton, that it is peace and democracy that brings economic prosperity and progress (not tariffs and authoritarianism). “When you never take your freedom, your freedoms for granted, when you focus on the rule of law, democracy, human rights, then economic empowerment and prosperity comes. What you stand for in the most difficult times matters.”
But in inimitable fashion, the Clintons set a tone of positivity and everyone set out with renewed resolve, determination and resilience to figure “workarounds” to the unprecedented challenge.
CGI, offered panels themed “A Critical Moment for Humanitarian Response,” “Protecting Progress, Prevention and Management of Infections and NonCommunicable Diseases,” “A New Blueprint for Global Health,” “New Approaches to Climate Finance,” “Bold Solutions for Effective Philanthropy,” “Protecting Truth and Information in a Fractured World,” “Putting People First,” all asking the question, “What’s Next,” and, finally, “We’re Next.” It went back to an earlier framework to focus on “working groups” – small groups focused around a particular issue to bring together NGOs, business entities, philanthropists, activists and experts who could form partnerships to fulfill innovative commitments.
Matt Damon, the acclaimed actor, relayed how Clinton Global Initiative 17 years ago helped him realize his goal of bringing safe water and sanitation to the millions upon millions of people who lacked such basic necessities. CGI introduced him to Gary White, an engineer, who also had no idea how to achieve that goal, and together they formed Water.org.
“It was like a first date – nervousness, awkwardness. But we realized that together could do a lot more than on own and really scale.” The first year’s CGI commitment was to build systems to serve 100,000. “Innovation-led, partners would follow. We got bigger and the numbers ran up. We hoped to reach 1 million a year. Today, we reach 1 million every six weeks.
“Our current commitment is already underway. In 2022, we pledged to help 100 million in Africa, Asia, and Latin America gain access to water, sanitation. We have already reached more than 30 million people who no longer have to take long walk for water.
“For Gary and me, CGI was the start. We thank President Clinton for introducing us, inspiring us to think better and doing all he can to help us reach those goals. There is more distance to go, with more than 2 billion people who lack access to safe water; 3 billion to sanitation.”
It was an invitation for others to join the partnership, or form their own, which is the essence of CGI.
We saw it in real time when Hawaii Governor Josh Green, on the “Investing in Community Resilience” panel with Jennifer Pryce, CEO of Calvert Impact Capital, learned about new ways to multiply the benefit of Hawaii’s newly imposed climate fee on visitors through community development bond instruments such as issued by Calvert Impact. Hawaii hopes to use the fee (about $3 on a $400/night hotel stay) to bond out $2 billion which will go to sustainability, environmental protection, prevention, resiliency (helps with insurance costs), and to sustain tourism, replenish coral reefs and beaches.
4,200 Commitments, 500 Million People, 180 Countries, 10,000 Partners
This year President Bill Clinton, Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton, and Foundation Vice Chair Dr. Chelsea Clinton concluded the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) 2025 Annual Meeting with the launch of 106 new Commitments to Action.
Since President Clinton founded CGI in 2005, the convening has asked attendees to come with Commitments to Action — specific, measurable partnerships and projects that address an urgent global challenge (there are regular reports issued).
Over the last 20 years, members of the CGI community across business, philanthropy, and government – more than 10,000 organizations and individuals – have partnered to launch more than 4,200 commitments that have improved the lives of more than 500 million people in over 180 countries. As a result of these partnerships:
Nearly 78 million people have improved access to financial services or capital.
More than $1.6 billion has been invested or loaned to small- and medium-sized enterprises.
Nearly 2.7 billion metric tons of CO2 were cut or abated.
More than 402 million acres of forest have been protected or restored.
Nearly 4 million clean jobs have been created.
More than 130 million people can more easily access maternal and child health and survival programs.
Nearly 38 million people can more easily access safe drinking water and sanitation.
More than 36 million people have received treatment for neglected tropical diseases.
More than $362 million in research and development funds has been spent on new vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics.
A bold opening address by President Clinton, condemning political violence, defending free speech, the free press and democracy, and how to bring the divided country together.
The Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), along with Unitaid, Wits RHI, and Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, announced a groundbreaking agreement on HIV prevention to dramatically open access to lenacapavir, a revolutionary medicine that effectively prevents HIV transmission with two injections a year. Under the CHAI-negotiated deal, this will be affordable and available for just $40 per year in 120 low- and middle-income countries by 2027.
Secretary Clinton marked the 30th anniversary of her remarks at the UN World Conference on Women, and announced a new Commitment to Action – a landmark report by the Women’s Initiative at Columbia SIPA’s Institute of Global Politics (IGP) and GWL Voices: Beijing+30: A Roadmap for Women’s Rights for the Next Thirty Years. The report outlines policy priorities critical to advancing the full and equal participation of women and girls in the twenty-first century, including in the areas of democracy and human rights, technology, economic participation, and conflict and climate.
Dr. Chelsea Clinton spoke with Audrey Tang, the cyber Ambassador of Taiwan, about overcoming polarization, how the public views democracy, and the importance of media literacy.
The Clinton Presidential Center, along with the City of Little Rock and ENFRA, announced a partnership to build the Clinton Sustainable Energy District (CSED) to offset carbon emissions and reduce utility costs through a new district energy system and a 5-megawatt solar array.
This year’s CGI Annual Meeting was reimagined to promote collaboration through Working Groups – facilitated, action-focused sessions where leaders will collaborate with mission-aligned organizations to drive real solutions in the areas that matter most and are under the greatest threat. Secretary Clinton announced progress from these Working Groups that CGI will build action on in the coming years and months:
Out of the Innovative Finance Working Group, Kiva Microfunds will launch a new social enterprise fund of at least $10 million in 2026, in partnership with corporate foundations.
The Health Working Group focused on using AI to overcome systemic gaps in chronic care; one project that came out of this group will expand maternal telehealth in Zimbabwe.
In the Education Working Group, the Clinton Foundation’s Too Small to Fail initiative and UNIDOS US led a conversation about expanding access to early learning. The group is exploring a pilot program in three U.S. cities in 2026 to provide immigrant families with early education resources.
The Human Rights and Democracy Working Group focused on issues including accelerating women’s democratic participation and defending LGBTQ+ rights, and developed ideas from civic education programs for at-risk youth in Northern Ireland to anti-authoritarian initiatives worldwide.
Members of the Climate Working Group dug into the tough realities of climate change and mapped out bold plans, including creating a water fund to unlock economic opportunities for millions; building climate adaptation hubs across the tropical belt, starting at COP30 in November; and opening new markets to support regenerative farmers.
The Economy Working Group focused on challenges like the care economy and access to capital. Out of that discussion came a commitment to launch a Global Network for National Service that will strengthen, expand, and scale national service programs around the world.
The Truth and Information Working Group discussed ways to cut through misinformation and focus on building community. In the next year, a top priority will be advocating for state and local leaders to enact responsible regulations on tech platforms and give users more ownership over their data.
The Humanitarian Response Working Group emphasized the need for innovation, preparedness, and localized responses to humanitarian crises around the world; with action items including a shared information system among responding NGOs, new funding opportunities, and innovative research-based tools.
President Bill Clinton, Secretary Hillary Clinton and Dr. Chelsea Clinton award the Clinton Global Citizen Award to entrepreneur and philanthropist B. Thomas Golisano for his transformative philanthropic work, including contributing $900 million to disability services, education, animal welfare, healthcare and numerous other community focused non-profits. Golisano was also an early supporter of the Clinton Global Initiative.
President Clinton also awarded the Clinton Global Citizen Award to entrepreneur and philanthropist B. Thomas Golisano for his transformative philanthropic work. As Founder of Paychex, a human resources software and service provider for small to medium sized businesses, Golisano has invested in endeavors that advance entrepreneurship and drive the success of numerous businesses and start-ups; he has also made more than $900 million in philanthropic contributions to disability services, education, animal welfare, healthcare — including four children’s hospitals that bear his name; Rochester, Syracuse, Ft. Myers and Buffalo — and numerous other community focused non-profits. Past recipients of the Clinton Global Citizen Award include President Joseph R. Biden, Jr., First Lady of Ukraine Olena Zelenska, Nadia Murad, and Dr. Muhammad Yunus.
Find information on all 106Commitments to Action announced at CGI 2025 at clintonglobal.org.
Protesters took to New York City streets on Saturday, September 20, to call for climate, social, and economic justice, and specifically, making billionaires and polluters pay up.
The “Make Billionaires Pay” march united climate activists, migrant rights defenders and women’s rights advocates in their demands for climate and social justice. Climate movement researchers say the coalition reflects a growing shift toward intersectional, grassroots mobilization as climate action stalls at the federal level. It is led by 350.org, Climate Defenders, Desis Rising Up and Moving (DRUM), Target Majority NYC and Women’s March.
“I hope we can scare Trump and his billionaire allies,” said Renata Pumarol, deputy director of Climate Defenders, a multi-racial and multi-generational climate organizing hub. “We need to show them that we are organized, and that there are more of us than them.”
“The billionaire fascists are setting our world on fire,” Target Majority NYC stated. “They’re dismantling democracy, attacking immigrants, and fueling war. They profit off genocide and climate collapse. This moment demands mass mobilization. As world leaders gather in New York City for the UN General Assembly and Climate Week, it’s time to show them that we are revolting against Trump and the billionaire class. We’re calling on people across the US to join the nonviolent resistance by hosting a march in your community or joining the anchor march in NYC.”
“Everything feels out of control. ICE raids tearing families apart. Genocide streamed live on our screens,” Womens March declared.” Free speech and our freedoms under direct attack from the Trump regime. And billionaires are pouring gasoline on every fire while families can’t make rent. They want us scattered. Silent. Afraid. Today, we gather in power. As the United Nations meets and Climate Week begins, we take the streets of New York City- lound, undeniable, impossible to ignore.”
“Make Billionaires Pay”
They gathered during Climate Week, as the United Nations General Assembly gets underway.
They marched as the Trump administration is actively rescinding the historic climate actions of the Biden Administration to transition to a clean, renewable energy economy, cancelling regulations to protect the air and water from pollution, cancelling tax credits for electric vehicles, actively shutting down the offshore windfarms that were already well under construction, his EPA Administrator, Long Islander Lee Zeldin who unsuccessfully ran for New York Governor, rescinding the Endangerment Finding that empowers the federal government to regulate carbon emissions contributing to climate change.
“As soon as the second Trump administration took office in January 2025, he unleashed an immediate and unprecedented attack on our environment and public health,” writes the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC). “This includes a rollback of crucial environmental safeguards, the repeal of bedrock environmental and health laws, the delay of critical protections for endangered species, and attacks on well-established science and scientists.” (https://www.nrdc.org/resources/white-house-watch-tracking-attacks-our-environment-health)
The actions are not only hurting public health, exposing communities to more severe and deadly climate disasters, but affordability, as well. Ending the development and transition to clean, renewable energy makes American households dependent on ever-rising prices for fossil fuels.
“Clean energy has lowered Americans’ bills, created hundreds of thousands of jobs, and helped fight climate change. But it’s bad for the fossil fuel industry’s bottom line, and Trump seems willing to stop at nothing to slow it down – including breaking the law his own party just passed,” the Climate Action Campaign (CAC) writes. “We need to build as much clean energy as we can to help avoid the worst impacts of climate change. Thanks to Trump and his fossil fuel cronies, Americans are getting more pollution, higher bills, and more deadly extreme weather instead of the healthy, safe, and prosperous future we deserve.” (https://www.actonclimate.com/post/cacs-alt-on-trumps-latest-attack-on-wind-and-solar/)
It’s hard to keep track of all the aggressively, in-your face anti-climate, anti-environment, anti-public health actions trump has unleashed – this list was compiled with the help of AI:
Withdrew from the Paris Agreement again.
Prioritizes fossil fuel production while actively attacking clean renewable energy development: Trump’s “America First Energy Plan” prioritizes fossil fuel development, including oil, coal, and natural gas, aiming for energy dominance through deregulation.
Reviving oil pipeline projects that communities rejected.
Opened protected areas for drilling: Trump administration finalized decisions to open Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and other federally protected lands and waters to drilling.
Declared a “national energy emergency” during his 2025 inauguration to justify further expansion of fossil fuel extraction and streamline the permitting process for new oil and gas projects.
Rolled back Clean Power Plan
Weakened vehicle emissions standards:
Targeted renewable energy: The second Trump administration has halted new offshore wind projects, even ones that were nearing completion, and limited tax credits for wind and solar projects as well as credits enabling homeowners to incorporate solar energy.
Reduced Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) authority and budget, undermining its ability to enforce environmental regulations, while declaring it would not bother to regulate polluters.
Weakened the Clean Water Act: The administration repealed the 2015 Clean Water Rule, narrowing the scope of federal protection for wetlands and small streams and leaving more waterways vulnerable to pollution.
Scaled back national monuments: Trump dramatically reduced the size of several national monuments, including Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante in Utah, to open up land for resource extraction. In 2020, he opened the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument to commercial fishing. In the second term, he has gone back to reverse Biden’s re-designations.
Loosened methane regulations: The EPA weakened rules that limited methane emissions from oil and gas operations on public and tribal lands.
Targeted toxics and pollution standards: The administration rolled back standards for mercury and air toxics from power plants and loosened rules regulating coal ash disposal, and delayed or rescinded standards keeping “forever chemicals” out of drinking water.
Cut climate research funding including those at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and The National Weather Service, stopped satellite monitoring showing impacts of climate change, and cancelled reports that measure climate change.
Dismissed climate change: Trump and his administration frequently expressed skepticism about the scientific consensus on climate change and dismantled interagency groups designed to coordinate climate action and continues to call climate change a “hoax” and a “scam.”
Limited the “social cost of carbon”: An executive order disbanded the interagency working group that calculated the “social cost of carbon”—a metric used to quantify the economic damages from greenhouse gas emissions—and directed agencies to consider eliminating the calculation. Companies are discouraged from calculating the risk of climate change in their investments and public reporting.
Reduced public health protections: A 2018 analysis by Harvard researchers estimated that the environmental rollbacks could lead to thousands of extra deaths and millions of additional respiratory problems per decade due to increased pollution.
Meanwhile, a new study led by a Stony Brook University researcher projects that, due to climate change factors, there will be more wildfires in the coming decades, and their smoke could lead to tens of thousands of deaths by 2050.
Climate disasters have become more severe and more frequent and more costly even as Trump moves to shut down FEMA. The US spends $150 billion annually on climate-related disaster relief (as much as what Trump has allocated to militarize mass deportations), with recent years seeing even higher costs due to increased frequency of major events. The US experienced 27 billion-dollar disasters in 2024, totaling $182.7 billion – well above the 5-year average.
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin has proposed rolling back carbon pollution standards for existing coal and new gas-fired power plants and dismantling standards that limit dangerous Mercury and Air Toxics (MATS) pollution from coal plants. These rollbacks would worsen air quality, hurt public health, and exacerbate the climate crisis.
“Climate pollution is worsening health and living conditions for so many of our families nationwide, which is why people across party lines strongly oppose their repeal,” stated Climate Action Campaign Director Margie Alt. “The EPA was created to protect people, not polluters. Eliminating these vital air pollution and climate protections will make our families sick, poison the air, and make extreme weather triggered by the climate crisis more deadly and destructive. The EPA should honor its mission to protect our health and environment, not advance an agenda that puts polluters first.”
Thousands of Americans are now dying each year from heat stroke, with global warming setting new records for temperature year after year.
“Clean energy has lowered Americans’ bills, created hundreds of thousands of jobs, and helped fight climate change. But it’s bad for the fossil fuel industry’s bottom line, and Trump seems willing to stop at nothing to slow it down – including breaking the law his own party just passed.
Even as his administration works aggressively to harm the environment, unleash climate change rather than mitigate against it resulting in public health emergencies ranging from epidemics, to heat stroke, to asthma, to heart disease, trump is working to dismantle public health altogether.
A kind of catch-all for protest in what has become a rolling series of protests, other issues being voiced included democracy, rule of law, immigrant rights, human rights, Palestinian rights, ending war and conflict.
As CGI marks its 20th anniversary, the 2025 Annual Meeting has been reimagined to drive action on urgent global challenges, around the theme of “What’s Next”
Featured participants announced today include Noubar Afeyan, Founder and CEO, Flagship Pioneering; Co-Founder and Chairman, Moderna; Matt Damon, Co-Founder, Water.org and WaterEquity; Anthony Capuano, President and CEO, Marriott International; Cindy McCain, Executive Director, World Food Programme; Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO and Founder, Chobani; Abigail Disney, Filmmaker, Writer, Philanthropist, and Activist; Ryan Gellert, CEO, Patagonia; Audrey Tang, Cyber Ambassador, Taiwan; Wendy Abrams, Co-Founder and CEO, Eleven Eleven Foundation; Donna Karan, Founder, Urban Zen Foundation; Katherine Maher, President and CEO, NPR; Neil Buddy Shah, CEO, Clinton Health Access Initiative; and more. Learn more about this year’s full program and participants at https://clintonglobal.org/2025
NEW YORK, NY — The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) announced more leaders from across business, government, philanthropy, and civil society, convening at the CGI 2025 Annual Meeting September 24-25, uniting around this year’s theme of “What’s Next.” These leaders are poised to take action to confront new and worsening challenges on climate, health, the economy, humanitarian response, democracy and human rights, truth and information, education, and innovative finance.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of CGI. Since 2005, more than 500 million people in more than 180 countries have had their lives improved by more than 4,000 Commitments to Action launched through CGI.
Last month, in a letter marking CGI’s 20th anniversary, President Clinton issued a stark call to action to the CGI community, outlining changes to this year’s meeting: “Given the scope of the challenges we face, this year’s CGI meeting will be different – by necessity. We need to redefine how we show up, how we work, and how we find ways to honor our common humanity.”Read President Clinton’s Call to Action here.
To tackle these challenges, the CGI 2025 Annual Meeting is bringing together leaders of major charitable foundations, nonprofits, businesses, governments, unions, and more to chart solutions. Featured participants announced today include:
Global advocates and activists including Stacey Abrams, Founder, American Pride Rises Network; Wendy Abrams, Co-Founder & CEO, Eleven Eleven Foundation; Vedika Bhandarkar, President and Chief Operating Officer, Water.org; Deepak Bhargava, President, Freedom Together Foundation; Matt Damon, Co-Founder, Water.org & WaterEquity; Abigail Disney, Filmmaker, Writer, Philanthropist, and Activist; Lindsay Ell, Artist, Songwriter, and Philanthropist; Dr. David C. Fajgenbaum, Co-Founder, Every Cure; Donna Karan, Founder, Urban Zen Foundation; and Audrey Tang, Cyber Ambassador, Taiwan;
Journalists and leaders across media including Errin Haines, Editor at Large, The 19th; Margaret Hoover, Host, Firing Line with Margaret Hoover, PBS; Andrew Jack, Global Education Editor, Financial Times; Raj Kumar, Founding President and Editor-in-Chief, Devex; Nishant Lalwani, CEO, International Fund for Public Interest Media; Katherine Maher, President and CEO, NPR; Alan Murray, Founding President, The Wall Street Journal Leadership Institute; Matthew Segal, Co-Founder, ATTN; Jessica Sibley, CEO, TIME; Vitus Spehar, Creator, Under The Desk News; and Michael Vito Valentino, Editor-in-Chief, NowThis;
Business leaders including Noubar Afeyan, Founder and CEO, Flagship Pioneering; Co-Founder and Chairman, Moderna; Rima Al Mokarrab, Chair, Tamkeen; Anthony Capuano, President and CEO, Marriott International; Michael Dowling, CEO, Northwell Health; Ryan Gellert, CEO, Patagonia; Lutz Hegemann, President Global Health, Novartis International AG; Joe Kiani, Founder and Executive Chairman, Willow Labs; and Hamdi Ulukaya, CEO and Founder, Chobani;
Philanthropic leaders including Tonya Allen, President, the McKnight Foundation; DeAngela Burns-Wallace, President and CEO, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation; Marla Blow, CEO, Skoll Foundation; Somachi Chris-Asoluka, CEO, The Tony Elumelu Foundation; Kellea Miller, Executive Director, Human Rights Funders Network; Jacqueline Novogratz, Founder and CEO, Acumen; Carmen Rojas, President and CEO, Marguerite Casey Foundation; John-Arne Røttingen, CEO, Wellcome Trust; and Mark Suzman, CEO and Board Member, Gates Foundation;
Civil society and NGO leaders including Manish Bapna, President and CEO, Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC); Kathy Higgins, CEO, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation; Lisha McCormick, CEO, Last Mile Health; Sania Nishtar, CEO, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; Kelley Robinson, President, Human Rights Campaign; Peter Sands, Executive Director, The Global Fund; Neil Buddy Shah, CEO, Clinton Health Access Initiative; and Janti Soeripto, President and CEO, Save the Children US;
Government and multi-lateral leaders including U.S. Senator Chris Coons of Delaware; St. Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew; Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs; Michelle Lujan Grisham, Governor, New Mexico; Cindy McCain, Executive Director, World Food Programme; and more.
As part of President Clinton’s call to action last month, this year’s CGI Annual Meeting will be reimagined to promote collaboration through Working Groups – facilitated, action-focused sessions where leaders will collaborate with mission-aligned organizations to drive real solutions in the areas that matter most and are under the greatest threat. These Working Groups include cross-sector collaborations on Climate, Democracy and Human Rights, The Economy, Education, Health, Humanitarian Response, Innovative Finance, and Truth and Information.
Sponsors for the CGI 2025 Annual Meeting include AFT, All Hands & Hearts, Amalgamated Bank, APCO, Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, Bob and Jane Harrison, Cure, Doha Forum, Equity Group Holdings Plc, Flagship Pioneering, Former Congressman David Trone, Gilead Sciences, Inc., Integra Capital, Interenergy Group, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, Kokoro, MEBO International, Northwell Health, Pfizer, Pinterest, Sino-European Manufacturing Club, Strauss Media Strategies, Inc., Tarsadia Foundation, The EKTA Foundation, The Nima Taghavi Foundation, The John D. Evans Foundation, The Kiani Foundation, The Marc Haas Foundation, Ukraine Children’s Action Project, Varkey Foundation, and W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Postcode Lottery Group is serving as a partner for the CGI 2025 Annual Meeting. Devex and Grist are media partners for the CGI 2025 Annual Meeting.
To mark the Clinton Global Initiative’s 20th Anniversary, Social Goods — a purpose-driven small business — and the Clinton Foundation are partnering to unveil a new, limited-edition collection where every item sold supports Foundation programs that advance solutions on economic opportunity, climate, public health, gender equality, and more.
Previously announced participants include Prime Minister Gaston Browne of Antigua and Barbuda; Prime Minister Philip Davis of The Bahamas; Prime Minister Mia Mottley of Barbados; President Vjosa Osmani of Kosovo; Nazanin Ash, CEO, Welcome.US; Suyen Barahona Cuan, Executive Director, Colmena Fund; Priscilla Sims Brown, President and CEO, Amalgamated Bank; Rolando Gonzalez Bunster, Chairman and CEO, InterEnergy Group; Brendan Carr, CEO, Mount Sinai Health System; Tim Cadogan, CEO, GoFundMe; John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Operation HOPE, Inc.; Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Founder and Chair Emeritus, The Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development; John King, Chancellor, State University of New York; Ann Lee, Co-Founder and CEO, Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE); Nancy Lindborg, President and CEO, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation; Lisha McCormick, CEO, Last Mile Health; Patricia McIlreavy, President and CEO, Center for Disaster Philanthropy; Denis Mukwege, President and Founder, Panzi Hospital; James Mwangi, Group CEO, Equity Group Holdings; Reema Nanavaty, Director, Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA); Binaifer Nowrojee, President, Open Society Foundations; Michelle Nunn, President and CEO, CARE USA; Daniel O’Day, Chairman and CEO, Gilead Sciences; Kennedy Odede. Co-Founder and CEO, Shining Hope for Communities; Maribel Pérez Wadsworth, President and CEO, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Ai-jen Poo, President and Executive Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) and Caring Across Generations; Bill Ready, CEO, Pinterest; Maria Ressa, Co-Founder and CEO, Rappler; Liz Shuler, President, AFL–CIO; Karlee Silver, CEO, Grand Challenges Canada; Charlotte Slente, Secretary General, Danish Refugee Council; Darren Walker, President, Ford Foundation; Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers; and more.
