Amidst Uncertainty at the CDC, Governor Takes Action To Protect Access to Life-Saving Vaccines
Department of Financial Services Guidance Strongly Encourages Commercial Insurers To Continue Covering 100 Percent of the Costs of Recommended Vaccines
In light of continued attacks on science and health care from the federal government, Governor Kathy Hochul today announced new action to protect vaccine access across New York State. The New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS) is issuing guidance to insurers encouraging them to continue covering all vaccines recommended by The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) as of today’s date. ACIP has long been responsible for issuing recommendations on vaccine use to control disease in the United States, and insurers typically provide coverage of vaccines based on ACIP recommendations. Today’s publication also reminds insurers of previously issued guidance requiring insurers to cover COVID vaccines for children. In addition, the guidance urges insurers to encourage employers and other entities who provide self-funded health care coverage to continue covering the cost of vaccines. Today’s action builds upon Governor Hochul’s Executive Order allowing pharmacists to administer COVID vaccines to ensure New Yorkers can receive the updated 2025-26 COVID shot.
“New Yorkers deserve to have the resources available to get vaccinated if they choose to, and Republicans in Washington should not be able to take that from them,” Governor Hochul said.“Vaccines not only prevent people from getting sick — they can save lives and prevent the spread of infectious diseases, especially as we approach our colder seasons and our children are back in schools.”
New York State Superintendent of Financial Services Adrienne A. Harris said,“Public health experts have been clear that vaccines are an essential tool in combating the spread of infectious diseases and lowering the cost of health care. The cost of a vaccine should not be a barrier to this critical care. DFS strongly encourages insurers to continue to provide comprehensive vaccine coverage for all New Yorkers.”
“In 2024, we lost 2,775 New Yorkers related to COVID, that is enough to fill 7 jumbo jets,” said New York State Health Commissioner Dr. James McDonald. “Vaccines are the best protection from serious illness and hospitalization. I want to thank Governor Hochul for her leadership in taking swift action to ensure that vaccines remain accessible and affordable for families across our state. By safeguarding coverage and availability, we can prevent illness, save lives and keep our communities healthy as we head into the colder months.”
New York is also working in coordination with — and helping to lead — a regional multi-state public health collaboration among Northeast states, which brings together public health leaders across the region to develop evidence-based recommendations and approaches on vaccination, disease surveillance, and emergency preparedness. The collaborative also supports state public health laboratories in sharing resources and expertise to strengthen regional readiness.
450,000 New Yorkers At Risk of Losing Healthcare Due to GOP Cuts
Meanwhile, Governor Hochul is raising alarms that 450,000 New Yorkers are in jeopardy of losing health care. Cuts imposed by Washington Republicans are expected to have a significant impact, with an anticipated nearly $13 billion affecting New Yorkers healthcare system. Additionally, approximately 1.5 million New Yorkers are projected to lose their health insurance coverage, while over 300,000 households are expected to lose some or all of their SNAP benefits.
“For months, I’ve warned that Washington Republicans’ devastating cuts would rip health care away from New Yorkers,” Governor Hochul stated. “Today, we have no choice but to confront that reality.
“Nearly 1.7 million New Yorkers rely on the [state’s] Essential Plan for health care – working moms and dads, families living paycheck to paycheck, people doing everything right and still struggling to get by. The Big Ugly Bill forced through by Donald Trump and Republicans puts every single one of them at risk of losing their care. I refuse to stand by while Washington punishes vulnerable New Yorkers. That’s why today, I’m taking action to preserve health care for 1.3 million people by shifting their coverage to our state’s Basic Health Program, allowing us to access emergency funds that would otherwise not be available.”
But, she added, even with these steps, 450,000 New Yorkers are at risk of losing their care.
“That includes 127,000 people represented by New York’s seven Republican Members of Congress, who are abandoning their own constituents to hand out tax breaks for the wealthy,” Hochul declared. “It doesn’t have to be this way. If Republicans give a damn about protecting health care for their constituents, they can act right now to pass a three-year delay of HR1’s cuts to health care eligibility and keep every New Yorker on the Essential Plan covered. And in the meantime, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services needs to work with us to identify more low-cost health insurance options for New Yorkers.
“There is still work to do here in New York. Many of the 1.7 million people on the Essential Plan are working part time, including at big retailers and other companies that deliberately limit hours to avoid covering health care. It’s time for these employers to stop passing the cost on to taxpayers and start providing coverage for their workers.
“The message from across our state is clear: we can act together and stop these devastating impacts before it’s too late.”
Assembly Speaker Carl E. Heastie stated, ‘”Losing the Essential Plan is a devastating blow to hard working New Yorkers brought on due to the draconian measures implemented by the federal government in their Big Terrible Bill. Representatives Elise Stefanik, Mike Lawler, Nick LaLota, Nicole Malliotakis, Andrew Garbarino, Claudia Tenney and Nick Langworthy voted to give their billionaire donors the gift of tax breaks and tax cuts, and now hardworking New Yorkers will have to bear the fallout because of their actions.
“This will have ripples across our healthcare system, putting more stress on already overburdened emergency rooms and causing almost half a million people to lose access to healthcare. Make no mistake, this will affect every single New Yorker, and no amount of obfuscating and gaslighting by our Republican members of Congress can change that. I will continue to work with my partners at all levels of government to try and find solutions to protect New Yorkers from the cruelty that the administration in Washington continues to push.”
Governor Kathy Hochul reported that shooting incidents with injury in communities that participate in the Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative dropped 14 percent in the first seven months of 2025, thanks to record state investments and the work of the local law enforcement agencies and community organizations across the state. New statistics from the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services also show a 21 percent decrease in shooting deaths compared to the same period in 2024.
“Gun violence in New York is falling as a direct result of our record investments in public safety and prevention initiatives,” Governor Hochul said. “As we work with our public safety partners to make real progress in the fight against gun crimes, I remain committed to investing in programs that keep guns out of the hands of dangerous individuals and keep our communities safe.”
The programs the Governor credited with reducing gun violence are the very ones that Trump has rescinded funding for. On August 7, 2025, Trump stripped $87 million in counterterrorism and public safety funding from New York State. To add insult to injury, the funds were “stripped” in the aftermath of a mass shooting in midtown Manhattan, and would affect law enforcement’s ability to keep New Yorkers safe.
New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Commissioner Rossana Rosado said,“Thanks to Governor Hochul’s record investments that have empowered our local partners, we are seeing sustained progress in reducing gun violence throughout New York State. The GIVE communities are proving that focused strategies and real partnerships can save lives and prevent tragedies. We are grateful for the Governor’s steadfast leadership and the support of our local public safety partners who are truly building safer and stronger neighborhoods.”
“Disrupting the flow of illegal guns and the mission to locate and mitigate their source of supply remains a top priority,” stated New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James said. “GIVE is just one of several initiatives supported by Governor Hochul to aggressively attack the gun violence epidemic in New York State. We are grateful for her support, and we share her continued commitment in developing solutions to reduce gun violence on our streets.”
Newly released data comes from the 28 police departments outside of New York City participating in GIVE. These agencies account for roughly 90 percent of violent crimes involving firearms and 85 percent of all violent crime reported outside the five boroughs. Since 2021, when Governor Hochul took office, shootings statewide have fallen by more than 50 percent and murders by 30 percent.
Governor Hochul recently announced $36 million in GIVE funding, marking the third consecutive year of record-level support for the program. When comparing January 1 through July 31, 2025 to the same period last year, GIVE police departments reported:
303 shooting incidents with injury, down from 351
356 individuals shot, down from 455
55 gun-violence-related deaths, 15 fewer than the 70 reported in 2024
Four cities saw significant reductions in shooting incidents with injury during the same timeframe:
Albany: 53 percent decline
Buffalo: 25 percent decline
Syracuse: 10 percent decline
Rochester: 8 percent decline
New York City also experienced notable declines. Through Aug. 17, the NYPD reported a nearly 20 percent decrease in shootings (459 vs. 572) and a 19 percent drop in shooting victims (564 vs. 700) compared to the same period in 2024.
GIVE data for each of the 28 participating police departments, along with an interactive dashboard featuring current-year and historical statistics, is available on the DCJS statistics page.
The Division of Criminal Justice Services provides critical support to all facets of the state’s criminal justice system, including, but not limited to: training law enforcement and other criminal justice professionals; overseeing a law enforcement accreditation program; ensuring Breathalyzer and speed enforcement equipment used by local law enforcement operate correctly; managing criminal justice grant funding; analyzing statewide crime and program data; providing research support; overseeing county probation departments and alternatives to incarceration programs; and coordinating youth justice policy. Follow DCJS on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).
Meanwhile, Governor Hochul also pointed to safer subways and public transportation.
Safer Subways: Hochul Announces Subway Crime Fell to Historic Lows this Summer
Summer Major Crimes Down Nearly 17 Percent Compared to 2019, at Lowest Levels in a Generation; Felony Assaults Down 21 Percent From 2024
Ridership Grew To Post-Pandemic Highs in 2025, Up 9 Percent From 2024
Ten SCOUT Teams Now In Place Throughout Transit System Providing Clinician-Led Mental Health Response
MTA on Track To Install LED Lights at Every Subway Station and Platform Barriers at 100 Stations by End of 2025
Governor Hochul announced that subway crime fell to record lows this summer. Overall transit crime from June 1 to August 31 was down nearly 10 percent from 2024 and 16.8 percent from the summer of 2019. Year-to-date, transit crime is at record lows, while subway ridership is up 9 percent, with over 311 million rides taken during the summer months. Transit felony assaults have been down every month this summer when compared to 2024. Together, June, July and August have had 119 felony assaults — compared to 150 last year — a reduction of 21 percent. There were 0.38 assaults per one million subway riders between June 1 and August 31. Accounting for increases in ridership, there were 1.59 major crimes per one million subway rides this summer, down 30 percent from 2022 and in line with pre-pandemic lows.
“When I took office, I vowed to drive down subway crime and keep it down. With strategic investments in public safety and targeted interventions, crimes across our subway system have officially reached record lows,” Governor Hochul said. “All New Yorkers deserve to feel safe on public transit — and I am committed to continuing investments that make our subways and streets safe.”
MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said,“The subway is safer today than before the pandemic and we all know why: more cops, more security cameras, and more mental health outreach. These interventions and others — funded and supported by Governor Hochul — have us on track for a third straight year of declining crime.”
According to NYPD statistics, July and August have been especially safe months, with new data confirming both were the safest July and August in history. Overall transit crime was down 22.8 percent this August compared to 2024, and felony assaults were down 40.4 percent compared to last year. Robberies were down 34 percent in the subway system in August compared to 2024.
This historic reduction in crime follows a series of investments in subway safety led by Governor Hochul. In January, Governor Hochul allocated $77 million in state funding to support a first-of-its-kind collaboration with the NYPD to deploy officers on board subway trains during overnight hours. This deployment provides peace of mind to riders and a deterrent to those who would commit crime in the system during overnight hours. During this deployment, two NYPD officers patrol a subway train, moving from car to car during a train’s journey.
There has also been progress made responding to mental health challenges in the subway. Subway Co-Response Outreach Teams (SCOUT) pair mental health clinicians with MTA police officers, to provide a clinician-led approach to individuals with serious mental health needs in the subway. To date, SCOUT teams have made over 750 referrals out of the subway system, and collectively, these patients have spent over 2,000 nights in treatment, getting the help they need. Directed by Governor Hochul, the MTA has now fully operationalized 10 SCOUT teams, with services provided throughout the subway system in the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan.
Investments in Transit Safety Made Under Governor Hochul’s Leadership Include:
Provided $77 million to partner with the NYPD to deploy two officers on every overnight train.
$20 million to fully fund 10 Subway Co-Response Outreach (SCOUT) teams to provide a clinician-first response to mental health challenges in the subway.
Placed 32,000 security cameras in the New York City Subway system — including over 17,000 on all 6,000 subway cars at Governor Hochul’s direction — and over 15,000 in subway stations.
Added new platform barriers at 74 subway stations, with the MTA on pace for 100 by the end of 2025.
Installed brighter LED lights in over 300 subway stations, on pace for all 472 by the end of 2025.
Established two Transition to Home Units (THUs) at Manhattan Psychiatric Center, creating 50 beds to support homeless individuals with severe mental illness.
Improved coordination between Law Enforcement and District Attorneys via a new MTA Criminal Justice Advocate.
Installed cameras in the conductor cabs of subway trains to keep MTA employees safe. To date, the MTA has installed cameras in over 1,100 conductor cabs.
Governor Hochul commented, “But I know this. Today or tomorrow, there’ll still be another headline that sends chills down people’s spines and creates that sense of as much as statistically there’s a very low percentage chance now of something happening. You still worry about your loved ones. Our senior citizens, little kids, and yourselves on this. I understand that innately.
“So that’s why we can’t back down. In fact, we don’t back down. We double down. And so I’m announcing today that we’re going to continue the overnight patrols that we actually intended last January as a very temporary measure. We thought we’d see whether it stabilizes the situation — look at the metrics as a result. It was supposed to be temporary, I know New Yorkers tell me they feel safer when they see officers on board. So we’re going to continue doing that for the months to come. And we’re going to continue drawing on the $77 million we already allocated. I have $45 million for the National Guard’s Empire Shield mission. So you’re going to continue to see some National Guard here as well because I believe this is what’s making a difference.”
Governor Hochul added, “We’re also going to keep monitoring our laws. We talk about repeat offenders on the subways all the time. People who seem to be cycling in and out of the courtroom and no consequences. I’ve had to change bail laws. I’ve had to change discovery laws, so repeat offenders and those who do harm to others — know their days are numbered. So I’m going to keep doing whatever it takes. This continues to be a challenge. It’s one, we’re up for — one that we’ve made real progress with, but I’m going to continue giving reports because we expect to be held accountable.
“I have high standards of what New Yorkers who are our commuters, and also our visitors are entitled to when they pay for that fare and get out in one of our subway trains. And I could not be happier with this report today. So I want to bring someone who shares this passion and this vision and has been such a strong partner of mine in government.”
MTA Chief Security Officer Michael Kemper said, “Surging ridership and falling crime is very good news for MTA riders, who consistently rank subway safety as their number one concern. We remain focused and will continue working with the NYPD and our law enforcement partners to ensure this downward trend continues.”
NYC Transit President Demetrius Crichlow said,“Keeping riders and employees safe in the transit system is always top of mind at NYC Transit and thanks to the investments made by Governor Hochul and law enforcement partners, we’re delivering on that commitment. With surging ridership, historic on-time performance, and decreasing crime statistics this summer, riders can rest assured they will be receiving safe, efficient and reliable trips on the subway.”
On Labor Day, Trump boasted of having fired 84,000 “bureaucrats” – you know, those dedicated public servants and experts who actually deliver government services to We the People. He didn’t mention the tens of thousands fired from the Veterans Administration or the Social Security Administration, or the 318,000 black women who were purged from their jobs because of Trump’s Executive Order declaring DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) illegal. He didn’t mention signing a new Executive Order firing people from Patent Office, NASA and the National Weather Service, or the tens of thousands already fired with the lie “for cause” by Musk’s DOGE bros, or the $2.1 billion he spent paying people not to work.
In effect, besides effectively shutting government down, Trump has violated existing labor law, Civil Service Act – but he doesn’t care.
But what hundreds of thousands of Democrats and anti-Trumper “No Kings”/”Hands-Off” activists who gathered at hundreds of “Workers Against Billionaires” rallies across the country on Labor Day, including hundreds at Nassau County’s Executive Building, wondered was how in hell Trump and the MAGA Republicans con workers to believe Trump or MAGA are “populists” who give a crap about them.
“A vote for a Republican is a vote against labor,” declared Claudia Borecky, President Bellmore-Merrick Democratic Club, principal organizer of the rally. “Trump fired 149,000 government workers, which wound up costing us $2.1 billion because he wound up paying people not to come into work. Are Republicans fighting to save jobs?
“A vote for a Republican is a vote against small business. The illegal tariffs impact small businesses most of all. The Walmarts can absorb some of Trump’s import tax. Small businesses cannot. Nearly one quarter of small businesses say the tariffs will put them out of business. Millions of people will lose their jobs. Are Republicans fighting to help small businesses?
“A vote for a Republican is a vote for billionaires. The Republican Big Bad Bill should be called the ‘Billionaire Benefit Bill’. It takes healthcare away from 10 million Americans. It literally takes food out of the mouths of millions of children so that it could give billionaires an even bigger tax cut. Are Republicans helping working families put food on their tables?
“A vote for a Republican is a vote to raise our taxes. To give a tax break to billionaires, Trump is taxing us for everything we buy. The tariffs are the largest tax hike in U.S. history. Who’s paying for these tariffs?
“A vote for a Republican is a vote to raise our taxes right here at home. Does anyone think Governor Hochul is going to let New Yorkers die in the street? Does anyone think Governor Hochul is going to let New York children go hungry? Of course, not. The loss of federal funds for Medicaid will cause state taxes to go up. The loss of federal funds for Medicaid will cause our county taxes to go up. The loss of federal funds for Medicaid will cause Nassau’s only public hospital to close its doors.
“Crickets from Blakeman. Does anyone see Republicans fighting for us?
“A vote for a Republican is a vote for corruption. And where better to find the most corrupt Republicans, but right here on Long Island,” she said, reminding the gathered that Congressman Anthony D’Esposito lost his reelection to Democrat Laura Gillen after he was accused of labor violations for hiring his lover and his fiancée’s daughter and had been sued for civil rights violations when he was a cop. But what does Trump – ever on the lookout for the most incompetent, corrupt people he can find to install in government – made D’Esposito Inspector General of the Department of Labor. No surprise that D’Esposito says nothing about Trump firing people he’s not allowed to fire and ignores all civil rights violations that come against this administration.
“Trump – the man who made his reputation from saying ‘You’re Fired’, now has a dictator-like banner with his face on it hanging in the front of the Dept. of Labor building. Trump’s expression basically says, ‘If you don’t do as I say, you’re fired.’ Well, it’s time we tell Trump, ‘You’re Fired!’”
She pointed to another Long Island Republican, Lee Zeldin, who Trump appointed to lead the Environmental Protection Agency. “He kisses the ring and cancels all wind and solar incentives. They just cancelled a wind project off Rhode Island that was 80% complete. Now thousands of people will lose their jobs. And how many solar panel businesses on Long Island will go under? How many Long Islanders in that industry will lose their jobs?”
She attacked County Executive Bruce Blakeman for forming his own private militia, noting that Trump followed suit. Then Trump created his own militia, spending $170 billion to hire an army of ICE officers. To appease Trump, Blakeman federalized Nassau County detectives and made them ICE officers.
“The only difference is that no one knows how much Blakeman’s militia is costing us. No one knows whether taking trained detectives off our streets is keeping us safe. Trump and Blakeman are following the Republican playbook. A book written by Long Island Republicans. Both are spending working families’ dollars on policies that make us less safe. And of course, both Trump and Blakeman are trying to normalize pay-to-play governments that line the pockets of family and friends,” Borecky stated.
Trump appointed Lee Zeldin, former long Island Congressman, to head the Environmental Protection Agency, who is repealing the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts, removing greenhouse gases from requiring regulation, and cancelling wind and solar projects funded under Biden’s Inflation Reduction and Infrastructure acts – he cancelled Rhode Island’s offshore wind farm though it was 80% complete, causing thousands to lose jobs, and is cancelling Long Island’s wind projects, which will cost tens of thousands of jobs.
On that point, Governor Kathy Hochul, with Governors Maura Healey, Ned Lamont, Dan McKee and Phil Murphy issued a joint statement:
“We are looking for the Trump Administration to uphold all offshore wind permits already granted and allow these projects to be constructed. Efforts to walk back these commitments jeopardize hardworking families, wasting years of progress and ceding leadership to foreign competitors. Workers, businesses, and communities need certainty, not reversals that would cost tens of thousands of American jobs and critical investment. Sudden reversals would also impact countless other workers and taxpayers on scores of non-energy public projects. The U.S. markets operate on certainty. Canceling projects that have already been fully permitted–including some near completion—sends the worrisome message to investors that the work can be stopped on a whim, which could lead them to decide to either not finance different projects or impose higher interest rates that would ultimately place a bigger burden on taxpayers.”
The $1 trillion cut from Medicaid that Trump and the Republicans made are not only disastrous for the health care system, causing hospitals and clinics to close and tens of thousands of jobs lost, but “tens of thousands will die of preventable deaths,” declared Michael Hellman of SEIU 1199. “It is cruelty over compassion to pay for more tax breaks for the billionaires…We must hold responsible the morally irresponsible leaders who are promoting this corruption.”
Nadia Marin-Molina of the National Organization of Daily Laborers attacked Trump’s mass deportation crusade, snatching people off the street based on racial profiling. “[Nassau County Executive Bruce] Blakeman said he was going after criminals, but most who are deported never get a trial, no evidence is presented. Every person has a constitutional right to due process. These people are being deported with no due process. The real criminals are in the White House. The real criminals are those getting rich by stealing workers’ wages.
“Immigrant rights and rights of all working people regardless of status are linked. If employers think they can have workers deported, and can exploit workers without consequence, will lower standards for all. Immigrant workers are afraid of standing up for wages if fear employers will call ICE and have them deported.”
She pointed to some communities who are creating day laborer “corners” to protect workers. “The Long Island community needs to stand up…Stop local governments like Nassau County from facilitating ICE and campaign of terrorism. Fight for the right of all workers to come home without fear of being kidnapped off the street.”
Dave Denenberg said Trump “believes that if tell a lie often enough, people will believe. But we must combat the lie that Trump is ‘on top of inflation’ – we are paying more for clothing, groceries, everything, while local taxes are up 12%. Mailers attack Hochul, but she’s fighting for us.
Denenberg pointed to Blakeman’s faux attack on New York City’s congestion pricing, long advocated by city environmentalists to reduce pollution while raising funds for public transportation improvements. Blakeman is fighting to take away congestion pricing (as is the Trump administration which threatens to cut back funds), while fighting to protect the illegal surcharges on red light tickets.
Joe Scianablo, candidate for Hempstead Town Supervisor, moaned, “I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.” He described himself as a “career public servant” – a marine vet, former police officer, former Queens prosecutor – who is standing with labor, the backbone of our town, our county, our country.
He accused Hempstead government of corruption in doing the bait-and-switch to name a new, unelected supervisor.
“Corruption has no end. It happens in back room where we’re locked out. Political insiders take care of themselves before anyone else. They broke the law and shouldn’t even be in their positions.” The former supervisor resigned (so the party could appoint a replacement wyho would run as an incumbent), and got a no-show job. “They use us as an ATM machine.
“Vote in November for change. This is not Right and Left, this is about right and wrong. This campaign is about people, labor, standing with residents not insiders who raised taxes 12 percent and gave themselves raises. When [ ‘Fibbin Freddie’] says he is a tax cutter, he is lying.”
New York State Assemblyman Chuck Lavine said, “We’re here for labor rights, human rights, women’s rights.” He attacked Trump for “what they have done to American labor – unilaterally stripped collective bargaining rights from hundreds of thousands. From the Veterans Administration alone, 400,000 workers lost their rights to collective bargaining because of an Executive Order that could affect 1 million federal workers.
Trump “has attacked workers, gutted the Department of Labor with DOGE cuts. He rolled back Labor Department rules issued under Obama and Biden allowing workers to campaign for working conditions; hampered the National Labor Relations Board, firing the head and nominating two corporate-friendlies to steer NLRB away from its mission to support workers.
“Make good trouble,” Lavine said.
Wayne Wink, former town clerk, legislator, councilman and now running for Nassau Comptroller, attacked Blakeman and Comptroller Elaine Phillips who met with the Heritage Foundation (authors of Project 2025), giving their implicit support to the blueprint to cut millions off of health care, women of their reproductive rights, and bust unions from federal workers on down.
“It’s not just Blakeman but the entire ticket. They have all drunk the MAGA Kool-aid.”
He noted that Phillips has not conducted one audit of her Republican-led agencies – not the scandal-ridden and bankrupt Nassau University Medical Center, not the spending for Blakeman’s private militia. “They are spending county money fighting Hochul and fighting ‘We the People’.”
“Complacency has gotten us to where we are today,”Claudia Borecky later commented. “ But a growing number of people are saying ‘No Bleeping Way’. And it will be up to us to literally save democracy.”
Reminder: Election day for county and town officials is in 64 days.
JOINT LABOR DAY STATEMENT ON OFFSHORE WIND FROM GOVERNOR KATHY HOCHUL, GOVERNOR MAURA HEALEY, GOVERNOR NED LAMONT, GOVERNOR DAN MCKEE, AND GOVERNOR PHIL MURPHY
“On Labor Day, we honor the strength, skill, and determination of America’s workers. From construction sites and factories to ports and power plants, working people are the backbone of our economy and the foundation of our shared prosperity.
“Nowhere is that clearer than in the offshore wind industry, where labor is on the front lines. Today, more than 5,000 workers—many of them proud union members—are directly engaged with building this new American industry, with many thousands more manufacturing products across 40 States that will help lead to a new era of U.S. energy independence. These projects represent years of planning, billions of dollars in private investment, and the promise of tens of thousands of additional jobs. They are revitalizing our ports, strengthening our supply chains, and ensuring that America—not our competitors—leads in clean energy manufacturing and innovation.
“We are looking for the Trump Administration to uphold all offshore wind permits already granted and allow these projects to be constructed. Efforts to walk back these commitments jeopardize hardworking families, wasting years of progress and ceding leadership to foreign competitors. Workers, businesses, and communities need certainty, not reversals that would cost tens of thousands of American jobs and critical investment. Sudden reversals would also impact countless other workers and taxpayers on scores of non-energy public projects. The U.S. markets operate on certainty. Canceling projects that have already been fully permitted–including some near completion—sends the worrisome message to investors that the work can be stopped on a whim, which could lead them to decide to either not finance different projects or impose higher interest rates that would ultimately place a bigger burden on taxpayers.
“At the same time, we remain committed to ensuring that the electric grid is reliable, resilient and affordable. Offshore wind and other renewables are central to that effort, but it must be complemented by a diverse mix of resources—including nuclear power, natural gas, hydropower, and other technologies—that together keep our system strong and our energy sources secure. Doing so will also help us attract major economic development projects that will offer economic security for American workers and transform communities as we move to a 21st century economy. As Governors, we are committed to delivering on this energy system for our states and working with the Trump Administration to advance projects that meet these objectives.
“On this Labor Day, we reaffirm our unwavering support for working people and the unions that represent them. We stand with America’s workers and strongly urge the Trump Administration to keep these projects on track—for our jobs, our families, our competitiveness, our energy security, and our future.”
New York State Paid Off Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund Loan, Bringing the Fund to Solvency, Increasing Benefits for Unemployed New Yorkers, and Cutting Costs to Businesses
Other Major Accomplishments Include Increasing Minimum Wage Benefits, Three New Worker Safety Laws, Free Community College for Adult Learners, and Expanded Wage Theft Enforcement
Governor Kathy Hochul today highlighted New York’s labor and workforce accomplishments in celebration of Labor Day. Governor Hochul has worked diligently to ensure that New York State is a safe, affordable place to work, live and raise a family. Accomplishments this year to enact a nation-leading worker agenda include paying off the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund debt, increasing minimum wage benefits, offering free community college for adult learners in high-demand sectors and making a significant investment in education workforce training programs. The Governor has also continued an aggressive crackdown on wage theft, increased penalties for violating child labor laws and advanced new legislation to keep workers safe while on the job.
“Labor Day is about recognizing our hardworking laborers for their contributions and achievements,” Governor Hochul said. “Our workers across the state deserve the resources and support necessary to be protected and work effectively and my administration will continue to deliver for them.”
Governor Hochul has been a longtime supporter of New York’s labor unions and remains committed to supporting New York workers. The Governor has taken the following actions to support, protect, and train workers in the past year, building on major labor and workforce accomplishments from last year:
Improving Wages and Benefits
Increased Minimum Wage: In January, New York’s minimum wage rose by $0.50 per hour to $16.50 in New York City, Westchester, and Long Island and $15.50 across the rest of the state. This adjustment is part of an historic, multiyear agreement between Governor Hochul and the New York State Legislature to index the minimum wage to inflation starting in 2027.
Paying off the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund Debt: A key achievement of Governor Hochul’s Enacted Fiscal Year 2026 (FY 2026) Budget is the full repayment of New York’s federal Unemployment Insurance (UI) Trust Fund loan. This nearly $7 billion action restores the fund’s solvency, increases benefits for unemployed New Yorkers, and reduces costsfor businesses. Beginning in October, the maximum weekly UI benefit, previously frozen at $504, will increase to $869. The repayment also paves the way for an increased taxable wage base in 2026 to strengthen the fund long term.
Strengthening Benefits for Striking Workers: In May, Governor Hochul signed legislation allowing striking workers to collect Unemployment Insurance benefits after a two-week waiting period, down from the previous three-week waiting period.
Expanding the Healthy Terminals Act: In May, Governor Hochul signed legislation to expand the Healthy Terminals Act to enhance wages, health care and leave benefits for airport workers at JFK and LaGuardia airports, including part-time workers. This also ensures parity across New York City-area airports and includes an exemption for small employers with 10 or fewer employees.
Expanding Opportunities for Employment and Training
“You’re Hired” Campaign for Former Federal Workers: Launched in February by Governor Hochul, the initiative encouraged Federal workers who had lost their jobs to apply for the many New York State public service roles. State agencies hired more than 120 former federal workers.
Providing Free Community College for Adult Learners in High-Demand Fields: Governor Hochul’s FY 2026 Budget established free community college for adults in high demand fields through SUNY and CUNY Reconnect. Through this landmark program, community colleges at SUNY and CUNY will cover tuition, fees, books, and supplies for adult students ages 25 to 55 with no degree who are pursuing associate degrees in high-demand fields like advanced manufacturing, technology, engineering, cyber security, AI, teaching, and healthcare. As of last month, more than 16,500 applications have been received.
Digitizing Youth Working Papers: Governor Hochul signed legislation in May to modernize the youth employment certification process by creating a one-stop online portal, eliminating outdated requirements like in-person pick up and mandatory physical exams.
$14.4 Million to Support Education Workforce Training Programs: In August, Governor Hochul announced $14.4 million in Workforce Development Awards had been allocated to State University of New York, City University of New York, and private colleges and universities as part of the Education Workforce Investment to expand opportunities for New Yorkers interested in becoming educators in critical shortage areas.
Resources to Support Older Workers: In partnership with the NYS Office for the Aging, the NYS Department of Labor (NYSDOL) launched an online resource hub to help older New Yorkers re-enter the workforce. Developed in alignment with the U.S. Department of Labor’s National Employ Older Workers Week and Governor Hochul’s State Master Plan for Aging, this online tool offers critical guidance and resources to support older workers so they can overcome barriers to employment.
Strengthening Worker Protections
Keeping Workers Safe While on the Job: Governor Hochul declared June Worker Safety Month, as three new laws went into effect to enhance protections for workers in certain sectors.
Retail Worker Safety Act requires retail employers with 10 or more workers statewide to implement interactive training programs about workplace violence, which includes threats of physical violence, abuse, harassment, and intimidation. Employers with 500 or more employees statewide must provide silent response buttons by January 2027.
The Fashion Workers Act aims to ensure transparency and fair treatment for models and other fashion workers and requires model management companies to register in New York State and adhere to specific duties like providing safe work environments and acting in the best interest of the models they represent.
The Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Program expands upon last year’s Warehouse Worker Protection Act and requires employers to identify and minimize the risks of injuries by conducting worksite evaluations; providing training for employees and supervisors and establishing medical staffing and treatment protocols.
Wage Theft Enforcement Expansion: In May, Governor Hochul advanced legislation to give NYS Department of Labor new tools including liens, asset seizures, and stop-work orders, to collect unpaid wages following a wage theft judgement.
Tougher Penalties for Child Labor Violations: In response to a nationwide surge in violations of Child Labor Laws, in May, the Governor advanced legislation to significantly increase civil penalties for employers violating child labor laws.
On-Site Consultation Program Keeps Workers Safe and Saves Businesses Money: Celebrating 50 years, the free On-Site Consultation Program has saved New York’s Employers $89 million over the past decade by preventing workplace injuries. The program, funded in partnership with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), helps businesses prevent workplace injuries and illnesses and assists them with regulatory compliance.
Other Major Accomplishments
Nation’s First Paid Prenatal Leave: As of January 1, 2025, New York became the first state in the nation to require all private businesses to provide expecting workers up to 20 hours of paid sick leave for pregnancy-related healthcare.
Supporting Health Care Workers with Over $2 Billion in Bonuses: In addition to investing in the next generation of New York’s health care workers, Governor Hochul has continued to support current health care workers who provide the services that so many New Yorkers rely on. Last year, the Governor announced that New York State has paid over $2 billion in bonuses to more than 800,000 health care workers statewide through the Health Care Worker Bonus Program. The program was launched by Governor Hochul in 2022 and provided bonuses of up to $3,000 for eligible health care workers across New York.
Apprenticeship Month and Program Investment: For the third consecutive year, Governor Hochul proclaimed November New York State Apprenticeship Month as part of her continued support of this highly effective workforce development model. In 2026, The New York State Department of Labor will celebrate Apprenticeship Week from April 26-May 2.
Launch of Newly Updated New York State Police Officer Apprenticeship Program: In September 2024, the NYS Department of Labor, State University of New York, and SUNY Schenectady announced the launch of a newly updated New York State Police Officer Apprenticeship Program. This program gives recruits the ability to earn money while learning essential skills and receiving financial assistance and support to guide them through their police officer training.
State Senator Jessica Ramos said, “This Labor Day comes at a critical time, as workers face attacks across the country. In New York, we’re showing what pro-worker leadership looks like — paying off $7 billion in unemployment debt to raise benefits and cut costs, reducing the wait for striking workers to access unemployment, and investing in workforce development statewide. With new laws like the Retail Worker Safety Act and the Warehouse Worker Injury Reduction Act now in place, we’re making sure every New Yorker can go to work and come home safe, every shift, every day.”
State Senator James Sanders Jr. said, “I am proud to strongly support the many achievements for the working people this year by New York State. New York continues to be a leader in the nation to advance the rights and benefits for workers including a higher minimum wage, stronger benefits for striking workers, expanded opportunities for training and education, increased worker protection, and other new policies. Labor Day is about celebrating workers who are the backbone of the American economy and democracy.”
Assemblymember Harry Bronson said, “As Chair of the Assembly Labor Committee, fighting to make sure New York State is a safe, affordable place to work and live is job number one. With the leadership and partnership of Governor Hochul we have accomplished much for our working families. Enhancing wage enforcement, expanding workplace safety in several industries and providing workforce development have been key to achieve meaningful progress for all New Yorkers. Paying off the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund Debt while significantly increasing employee benefits and reducing costs for businesses was a priority in this budget; this achievement demonstrates our unwavering commitment to making New York more affordable for our hardworking families and businesses. As we celebrate Labor Day, we must honor our workers by committing to always fight for them for living wages, safe workplaces and good health care and retirement benefits so they can provide for themselves and their families.”
Assemblymember Rodneyse Bichotte Hermelyn said, “New York has always been a leader in protecting and uplifting working people, and I applaud Governor Hochul’s commitment to strengthening worker protections and expanding opportunities for New Yorkers. These accomplishments – from paid prenatal leave to stronger workplace safety laws– demonstrate that our state is putting working families first. Strengthening wage theft enforcement, increasing penalties for child labor violations, and investing in workforce training are not just policies on paper — they are real protections that improve lives, keep workplaces safe, and give working families the support they deserve. On this Labor Day, we celebrate the progress made and reaffirm our dedication to building a fairer, safer workplace for all.”
It is depressing to hear the call for economic and social justice mimicking the speeches of the March on Washington 62 years ago during this year’s March on Wall Street, led by Rev. Al Sharpton and Martin Luther King III – as if the last four years with Joe Biden’s Justice Agenda, indeed, the last 60 years, had never happened.
Some 318,000 Black women lost their jobs in just the last eight months, coinciding with Trump’s ascendancy to a second term in office and his executive orders effectively making Diversity, Inclusion & Equity illegal – or put another way, making discrimination legal and the official government policy. It is Jim Crow not just from the offices of redneck governors and their sheriff’s offices, but from the White House, which as several noted, was built by slaves, as was most of Wall Street.
The March on Wall Street was a response to Donald Trump’s unrelenting attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and brought together a major coalition of civil rights, clergy, and labor leaders. The importance of this demonstration has only grown as the federal government threatens more takeovers of Black-led cities after the unprecedented National Guard deployment in Washington, D.C.
“We march from the African Burial Ground to the heart of the Financial District to remind Donald Trump the power of Black Americans and their dollars,” Rev. Al Sharpton, president of the National Action Network and organizer of the March on Wall Street stated.
“Donald Trump’s attacks on DEI were only the prelude, as he is now dangling threats to take over American cities led by Black mayors,” said Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder and President of NAN. “If we leave him unchecked on DEI, if we do not get out and march, if we do not speak up, he will completely erase the freedoms our parents and our grandparents fought, bled, and died for.
Hundreds were expected, but thousands showed up, many driving through the night from far away places like Tennessee, Michigan and Alabama – to register their opposition with their bodies, voices and signs.
The march began at Foley Square which was across from the African burial ground, the largest known resting place of enslaved and freed Africans. Foley Square also stands next to 26 Federal Plaza, where ICE agents have rampantly arrested migrants during appearances before immigration courts. It then proceeded the mile down to the bronze bull – or more accurately, the golden calf, a symbol of the corporate greed and obsession to amass economic power, now equivalent to political power, that has CEOs kowtowing to a convicted fraudster, whose policies, from the Big Bad Bill taking away healthcare and food from those who need it most in order to accomplish the biggest transfer of wealth in history from the middle class to the wealthiest, exacerbating the biggest wealth gap since the Gilded Age, to the tariff policy which is not only pushing up prices and making goods scarce, harming once again, working families the most, it is devolving alliances around the globe, weakening the dollar, to the evisceration of due process and Rule of Law with his cruel and unconstitutional mass deportation to his sending armed military into cities which happen to be majority Black and headed by Black mayors.
“We march from the African Burial Ground to the heart of the Financial District to remind Donald Trump the power of Black Americans and their dollars,” Sharpton stated.
Trump has compared himself to a department store manager and the USA as where the world comes to shop, when the opposite is true – it is Americans who buy the products that come from around the world, Americans who pay the tariffs which are an added, regressive tax, hurting the people most who can least afford it. Trump, the most ignorant as well as corrupt person to ever hold the office of president, also does not understand that consumers drive the US economy, accounting for 70% of GDP. What is more, it is the Black and Brown people who account for $6 trillion dollars – equivalent to the eighth largest country in the world, and if you add in the other groups targeted for non-personhood and “erasure” by Trump, LGBTQ and Asians, that $8 trillion domestic product would make it third largest after the USA and China. That purchasing power could be a weapon to win back the rights stripped away by an administration determined to put power in the hands of an elite (some might say “oligarchy”).
But erasure is what Trump wants – with his revisionist history, his forcing out of people, objects and ideas from museums, universities and schools – so-called “woke” culture – to be replaced with White Christo Fascist Nationalist cultural indoctrination. Even how he has fired the CDC Director for refusing to follow RFK Jr’s insane anti-vax instructions: the Trump White House said every person in government must follow Trump’s “vision” and “policy,” rather than follow facts or their oath to follow the law and protect the Constitution.
Law enforcement has not just been politicized and weaponized – everything from disbanding the civil rights office – but so has health care, education, indeed everything that people rely on to survive, let alone thrive.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion – “DEI” (which Trump shorthands as “woke”) is intended to make up for the centuries of slavery, then discrimination and injustice from access to public education, health care, housing and voting, to equal justice before the law – instead of paying outright reparations. What is the value today of 150 years of “40 acres and a mule” promised to freed slaves after the Civil War? It was CRT (critical race theory), taught in law schools (not public schools) that showed the pattern and the result of systemic discrimination.
But the campaign against DEI – as an excuse to remove Blacks, women, Black women, cut off funding for schools, universities, research, shut down the Civil Rights office within the DoJ and end consent decrees against police brutality and voter suppression, end lawsuits protecting women’s right to emergency health care – are of a piece to transfer wealth and power to a class, instead of working for an equal opportunity to succeed. Add to this Trump’s executive order rescinding cashless bail – under threat of losing millions of federal funding.
It’s of a piece to effectively cancel everything “public” or for the “common good” – from public health and access to health care, public schools, public parks, Pell grants, school lunch, wind farms, environmental protection, clean air and water, consumer protection and product safety.
Within hours after Trump was sworn into his second term, he signed an executive order demanding an end to DEI policies within the federal government. Those have since been followed by:
Revoking Executive Order 11246. Signed by President Johnson nearly 60 years ago, this action required federal contractors to take affirmative action to prevent discrimination and ensure equal employment opportunity for protected groups such as race, color, religion, sex, and national origin.
Federal DEI Staff Actions. In tandem with revoking EO 11246, Trump put all federal employees working in DEI on paid leave almost immediately. To comply with Trump’s executive orders, several agencies including the Departments of Defense, Education, Justice, Health and Human Services, as well as NASA, eliminated their DEI and civil rights initiatives and guidance.
Launching the DOJ Against DEI. Trump has used the Department of Justice to wither away at DEI, especially with the Civil Rights Division. Within just the first four months of Trump’s second term, an estimated 70% of the Division’s attorneys had either left or submitted their resignation. That came amid a flurry of memos in February from Attorney General Pam Bondi, who signaled the DOJ would bring civil rights cases against companies that implemented DEI policies.
Banning DEI in AI. In July, Trump signed an executive order directing agencies to not procure large language models with DEI embedded into their programming.
Removing Diversity in Foreign Service. In March, Trump demanded the State Department to scrub the “Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility” Core Precept on tenures and promotion, as well as similar actions on Foreign Service recruitment.
Canceling $783 Million in NIH Grants. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court narrowly approved the Trump administration’s canceling of hundreds of millions in National Institutes of Health grants linked to DEI (and yet, RFK Jr. has asserted there are racial differences in “antigens” and has basically advocated a form of eugenics).
Withholding Education Funding. This spring, the Trump administration threatened to cut off federal funding to schools and colleges with DEI programs. A federal judge earlier this month halted that effort, writing that “regulation of speech cannot be done casually.”
Pressuring the Private Sector to Drop DEI. Trump has lost a pressure campaign against Corporate America to follow suit and walk away from its billions of dollars in DEI commitments. That includes a highly scrutinized agreement with the law firm Paul Weiss to water down its DEI policies, while the FCC recently approved an $8 billion between Paramount and Skydance after the entities agreed to not implement any such programs.
Pushing GOP-friendly Redistrictings. Trump has backed the highly criticized redistricting efforts to skew Congressional seats in states like Texas to favor the GOP. Megadonors including Charles Munger Jr., who have supported conservative causes, has supported the fight against a converse effort in California that would see the GOP lose its foothold in the state.
In fact, policies which “lift all boats” are what made the United States the strongest economy in the world – 25% despite being only 5% of the population – the most innovative, the superpower. Think of all the talent and brainpower lost during centuries when women and Blacks were denied entry to education, professional licenses, fair housing, health care. The work of 150 years all undone in a matter of months by a wannabe dictator whose vision is not of a country where each has an equal opportunity to fulfill their full potential, but where the rich and well connected elite to exert power over the rest.
“It’s not illegal to invest in people, and never more necessary. Diversity , equity, inclusion are not illegal,” said Deputy Executive Director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is Shaylyn Cochran.
Janet Murguía, President and CEO of UnidosUS, said, “We are marching for economic justice. Civil rights is economic justice… We can’t give in to naysayers who falsely claim changing demographics are bad – Black/Latinos are nearly 50 percent and more than half of population of those under 18. We are the future workers, customers. Spending power is the 3rd largest GDP in the world. Imagine how much more we could contribute to the US economy if we had equal opportunity. By 2030, 40% of all new mortgages will be by Blacks, Latinos and Asians. We can make choices with our spending power. Call out the tariffs, cuts to health care, education, the costly mass deportation that has hurt business and the economy.”
“We will not be erased,” declared Melanie Campbell , president/CEO, National Coalition on Black Civic Participation. “We will not go back. We built this country. We are America.”
Ben Crump, prominent attorney who has sought justice for victims of police brutality, declared, “Economic justice is civil rights… Financial freedom helps make all the other freedoms more than just a dream; economic justice makes all the other justices more than a dream; equal opportunity access to capital gives us a better chance at generational wealth.”
Maya Wiley, president and CEO of the Leadership Conference for Civil and Human Rights, countering the lie that DEI is responsible for hiring unqualified people into jobs, declared, “We are the qualified ones, the future of country. We know how to lead, how to create businesses. When people think they can get ahead by putting us down, when they say they are coming for DEI and accessibility, they are coming for us because we are the qualified ones, we lead, we built this country and won’t let anyone take it away.”
Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, declared,, “We are saying to the billionaire class, to Wall Street, you need to be fairer, fight for all of us, not just yourselves – worker tax cut, health care, better jobs with better pay. We need to strengthen, not abandon public education, affordable college, affordable health care, social security. These are not radical ideas, this is what labor fought for in the 1960s.”
Newark NJ Mayor Ras J. Baraka pointed out that DEI policies aimed at leveling a playing field that had been tilted for centuries against people of color and women, was a better, more reasonable solution than demanding reparations for centuries “of slavery, decades for burning down communities and stealing housing. Every mayor should be standing up against the biggest transfer of wealth his history.” People working full time can’t afford child care, health care, decent housing.”
“Economic justice is a civil right,” stated Marc H. Morial, President and CEO of the National Urban League. “In 2025, say no to tariffs that make food, household goods more expensive, for the Big Bad Bill that shifts money to billionaires from cuts to Medicaid and food stamps so we are less healthy and more hungry. Say no to smear campaigns on black women, DEI… DEI is a bridge – it’s about growth, jobs, justice. Stand up against White Nationalism. Stand for DEI.”
Everett Kelley, National President of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) who represents 820,000 employees, demanded Trump keep his “hands off our government” – the [illegal] mass firings and retaliation against employees who speak out. (My question: why aren’t people suing for defamation when they claim to fire thousands of people at a time for “poor performance” without evidence?)
Lee Saunders, president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO, with 1.4 million members, declared “government workers perform essential services and unions made workplaces safe, the economy fairer, democracy stronger.”
The lawsuit asserts that President Donald Trump illegally exceeded his authority in trying to unilaterally roll back a regulation that protects the rights of civil servants. Trump is trying to make it easier to fire career civil servants in order to appoint loyalists to do his bidding.
AFSCME President Lee Saunders called the Trump administration’s attacks against federal employees “a shameless attempt to politicize the federal workforce by replacing thousands of dedicated, qualified civil servants with political cronies..Our union was born in the fight for a professional, non-partisan civil service, and our communities will pay the price if these anti-union extremists are allowed to undo decades of progress by stripping these workers of their freedoms. Together, we are fighting back.”
He told the demonstrators, “62 years since March on Washington the promise of America is unfulfilled for too many. We are still fighting. If anyone can make good on that check it’s the billionaires on Wall Street,” he said, but Wall Street is compliant in the Trump administration’s ruthless in attack on workers. “Don’t separate civil rights from economic rights.”
More than compliant or even complicit, in actions that evoke China’s brand of “capitalism,” Trump has used extortion – threats of tariffs, bans on trade – to force companies like and Intel to actually give up a percentage of ownership control (10% of Intel) or revenue (15% of Nvidia chip sales to China), and ordering companies to fire their CEOs.
Pointing to the $2 trillion in black purchasing power, the millions of jobs they fill and goods and services they produce, Jennifer Jones Austin, Vice Chair of the Board of the National Action Network (NAN), sent a message to Wall Street in terms they would understand: “Roll over with Trump and risk your profit and returns. Only when all thrive, will business and the nation thrive.”
Arndrea Waters King, who is the wife of Martin Luther King III, said, “This is not a drill – democracy is on fire…. Truth is twisted, lies lifted up, power not to the people but to pursestring; we see erosion of voting rights.” Then she added, “Democracy may be on fire but we the people are the water, rise like a mighty flood and put out the flames of injustice for good.”
Martin Luther King IIII said, “62 years ago, my father on the steps of Lincoln Memorial shared a vision. But in 1963, the check from Treasury for health care, education, came back as ‘insufficient funds.’ Keep moving forward and some day, will realize the dream of Martin Luther King Jr.”
Rev. Al Sharpton, said, “Wall Street, you benefit from Trump, but your benefit days are over…Trump, get ready for the fight of your life. We won’t let you end our democracy for your autocracy.”
I’ve been going to the week of qualifying matches that precedes the official opening of the US Open Tennis event at Flushing Meadow Park in Queens since it was an informal, almost sneak-peek, event, and always with a festive air. Along with the growth and development of the Billie Jean National Tennis Center, it has evolved into a full-fledged festival, now called Fan Week. This year’s was the best ever, and record attendance proves it.
Free to attend, you have amazing freedom to wander around from the practice courts, the Arthur Ashe stadium, Armstrong stadium and the Grandstand (they now post a schedule so you know who, where and when to watch), as well as watching the smashing high-quality qualifying matches. It’s so much fun to simply walk into things and find yourself watching Coco Gauff, Aryna Sabalenka or Carlos Alcaraz (he still had his hair then).
The event is a giant “thank you” by US Tennis Association to the New York community.
It is an opportunity to not only see the pros up close (get photos and autographs on those giant tennis balls), and watch them as they practice, but to see amazing qualifying matches. The weeklong event has evolved into a true festival with a rocking atmosphere And now, there is also entertainment and activities – player appearances, a Block Party, a silent disco, and interactive games – enhancing the festivities.
This year’s US Open Fan Week shattered attendance records, with a total of 239,307 fans in the course of the six days from August 18-23.
One of the crown jewels of this year’s Fan Week was the reimagined 2025 US Open Mixed Doubles Championship. The tournament drew two days of sellout crowds in Arthur Ashe Stadium on Tuesday and Wednesday, and an additional 20,000 fans watched mixed doubles for free in Louis Armstrong Stadium on Tuesday. Attendees got to see fan favorites Ben Shelton, Venus Williams, Taylor Fritz, Frances Tiafoe, Jessica Pegula, Madison Keys and several other top players compete for the $1 million awarded to the eventual champions, Sara Errani and Andrea Vavassori.
Thursday continued with Stars of the Open, featuring Williams, Coco Gauff, Andre Agassi, John McEnroe, Andy Roddick and other star tennis players a chance to put their tennis skills and their personalities on display, with everyone mic’d up for their entertaining doubles 10-point tiebreaks on the sport’s biggest stage. Two-time World Cup winner Alex Morgan joined the fun as well, and a portion of the ticket proceeds support the USTA Foundation, the national charitable arm of the USTA, which provides tennis and educational programs to under-resourced communities.
Friday night was the second-annual US Open Block Party featuring DJ D-Nice and Beverly Bond, the world-renowned DJ, author, entrepreneur and founder of Black Girls Rock. People gathered to enjoy the music, the vibes and the electrifying energy that permeates the grounds.
The week wrapped us with Saturday’s Arthur Ashe Kids’ Day, which drew a record 54,020 fans, breaking last year’s record of 47,875. The annual celebration of the life and legacy of tennis champion and cultural icon Arthur Ashe drew attendees of all ages to enjoy family-friendly entertainment and activities in the hopes of getting kids excited about tennis. Fans watched a Dude Perfect show in Ashe with Carlos Alcaraz and Tommy Paul, saw top players practice ahead of the US Open Singles Championships, enjoyed musical performances and player appearances on the Fan Week Fountain Plaza Stage, and participated in on-court clinics, interactive games and family activities for all.
Twenty years after the launch of the Clinton Global Initiative, President Clinton has issued a stark Call to Action: “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.
President Clinton, Secretary Hillary Clinton, and Dr. Chelsea Clinton will convene global leaders for the 2025 CGI Meeting September 24-25 in New York City to chart out “What’s Next.”
Learn more about this year’s meeting, including working group topics and early participants, at https://clintonglobal.org/2025
If you want to be reminded that there is good in the world, that progress to solve the most intransient problems and existential crises of our time is possible, to hear and learn from the smartest, most successful, most accomplished people on the planet, the place to be is the Clinton Global Initiative. Since its founding in 2005, each session has been like an alternate universe to the dystopia contrived by evil forces digging deeper into society and eroding civilization. –Karen Rubin/news-photos-features.com
NEW YORK, NY — President Bill Clinton issued a Call to Action to the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) community to come together at a re-imagined Annual Meeting this September 24-25 designed to promote collaboration and take action to confront new and worsening challenges on climate, health, the economy, and more.
President Clinton outlined that this year’s meeting will look different than previous years to most effectively confront the challenges of 2025 and lay the groundwork for what’s next:
“The global development community is at an unprecedented crossroads, with growing humanitarian needs, fewer resources, and the landscape changing every day. 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. This September, our goal will be to connect dots across issues, expose the consequences, and confront the complicated issues in front of us.”
To tackle these challenges, President Clinton, Secretary Clinton, and Dr. Chelsea Clinton have called together leaders of major charitable foundations, nonprofits, businesses, governments, unions, and more to chart solutions in 2025. More speakers will be announced in the coming weeks; today, CGI announced initial featured participants at the CGI 2025 Annual Meeting:
Heads of State and government leaders including 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, and Amy Pope, Director General, International Organization for Migration (IOM);
Business leaders including Priscilla Sims Brown, President and CEO, Amalgamated Bank, Rolando Gonzalez Bunster, Chairman and CEO, InterEnergy Group; Tim Cadogan, CEO, GoFundMe; James Mwangi, Group CEO, Equity Group Holdings; Daniel O’Day, Chairman and CEO, Gilead Sciences; and Bill Ready, CEO, Pinterest;
Philanthropic leaders including Nancy Lindborg, President and CEO, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation; Patricia McIlreavy, President and CEO, Center for Disaster Philanthropy; Binaifer Nowrojee, President, Open Society Foundations; Maribel Pérez Wadsworth, President and CEO, John S. and James L. Knight Foundation; Karlee Silver, CEO, Grand Challenges Canada; and Darren Walker, President, Ford Foundation;
Nobel Laureates including Denis Mukwege, President and Founder, Panzi Hospital; Maria Ressa, Co-Founder and CEO, Rappler; and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Founder and Chair Emeritus, The Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development;
Civil society and multi-lateral organization leaders including Nazanin Ash, CEO, Welcome.US; Ann Lee, Co-Founder and CEO, Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE); Lisha McCormick, CEO, Last Mile Health; Michelle Nunn, President and CEO, CARE USA; and Kennedy Odede, Co-Founder and CEO, Shining Hope for Communities;
Global Activists and Advocates including Suyen Barahona Cuan, Executive Director, Colmena Fund; Ai-jen Poo, President and Executive Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) and Caring Across Generations; Liz Shuler, President, AFL–CIO; Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers; and more.
CGI 2025 will have a sharper focus on CGI 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. CGI Working Groups at this year’s meeting include:
Climate: scaling investment in transformative climate solutions; group leaders and select participants include Sarah Chandler, Vice President, Environment and Supply Chain Innovation, Apple; Reema Nanavaty, Director, Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA); and Sophia Kianni, Founder, Climate Cardinals;
Democracy and Human Rights: protecting democratic principles and upholding equality and justice; group leaders and select participants include Suyen Barahona Cuan, Executive Director, Colmena Fund; Gary Barker, Founder and CEO, Equimundo: Center for Masculinities and Social Justice; Mona Sinha, Global Executive Director, Equality Now; and Melanne Verveer, Executive Director, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace & Security;
Economy: building resilient and inclusive global economic development amid widening inequalities; group leaders and select participants include Chetna Sinha, Founder, Mann Deshi Bank; Priscilla Sims Brown, President and CEO, Amalgamated Bank; John Hope Bryant, Founder, Chairman and CEO, Operation HOPE, Inc.; and Ai-jen Poo, President and Executive Director, National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA) and Caring Across Generations;
Education: advancing equitable and quality education for all; group leaders and select participants include Marci Alboher, Chief Engagement Officer, CoGenerate; John MacFee, CEO, JED Foundation; and Randi Weingarten, President, American Federation of Teachers;
Health: safeguarding public health gains and increasing global health equity; group leaders and select participants include Brendan Carr, CEO, Mount Sinai Health System; Tabinda Sarosh, CEO, Pathfinder International; Jeff Sturchio, Chair, Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and Lisha McCormick, CEO, Last Mile Health;
Humanitarian Response: building response models to be more resilient, collaborative, and adequately resourced; group leaders and select participants include Rez Gardi, Co-Managing Director, R-SEAT; Patricia McIlreavy, President and CEO, Center for Disaster Philanthropy; Ann Lee, Co-Founder and CEO, Community Organized Relief Effort (CORE); Denis Mukwege, President and Founder, Panzi Hospital; and Charlotte Slente, Secretary General, Danish Refugee Council;
Innovative Finance: building investment opportunities for more flexible, impact-driven funding; group leaders and select participants include Vishal Ghotge, CEO, Kiva; Joan M. Larrea, CEO, Convergence; and Karlee Silver, CEO, Grand Challenges Canada;
Truth and Information: revitalizing information ecosystems to uphold trust, truth, and transparency; group leaders and select participants include Dan Foy, Principal, Gallup; Wame Jallow, Executive Director, MTV Staying Alive Foundation; and Maria Ressa, Co-Founder and CEO, Rappler.
The sessions are designed for strategic collaboration, problem-solving, and the development of new CGI Commitments to Action.
This year marks the 20th anniversary of CGI. At the World Economic Forum in Davos in January 2005, President Clinton announced that he would be convening the first CGI meeting that September, timed to the U.N. General Assembly, with the requirement that attendees make a commitment to act on a pressing global challenge. Since then, 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.
In his letter to the CGI Community, President Clinton wrote:
“The CGI community is built for moments like this. This year marks two decades of our community convening and responding directly to global crises — from the devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti; to the U.S. economic downturn in 2009 with the launch of CGI America; to the Ebola outbreaks in 2014, 2015, and 2016; to the Caribbean hurricanes in 2017; to the COVID-19 pandemic; and more. We’ve launched more than 4,100 Commitments that have improved the lives of over 500 million people worldwide.
“We’re drawing on 20 years of lessons, momentum, and partnerships to meet this moment and build what’s next.
“Our programming and our physical space will be designed for action. Our time together will be focused on new working group convenings — sessions where project plans are drafted, commitments are accelerated, and coalitions begin to take root. Every participant will be urged to ask the hard questions, contribute their expertise, and identify paths forward.
“Now is the time to stand up and roll up our sleeves — and do our part to reverse the trend lines and begin charting a brighter future.”
Learn more about this year’s meeting, including working group topics and early participants, at https://clintonglobal.org/2025
Today, the Houston Chronicle published an op-ed by Governor Kathy Hochul outlining her commitment to protecting New Yorkers amidst the redistricting battle happening out in the state of Texas. The Governor discussed how Democrats across the nation must stand up to these brazen attacks to undermine democracy and the sacred practice of voting in the United States. Here is the text:
Up until now, Democrats have treated our political system like it’s still governed by norms, guarded by limits and rooted in fairness. Rules were meant to be followed. It hurts to say it, but that era has come to an end. Since Donald Trump’s rise, Republicans have declared war on the American people. They slashed health care, gutted nutrition programs and stacked the Supreme Court to rip away freedoms we once took for granted. And now, they’re trying to rig the rules of democracy itself.
At President Trump’s direction, Texas state House Republicans are attempting to redraw their congressional maps mid-decade, an aggressive power grab designed to flip as many as five current Democratic seats. They’ve carved up diverse communities in Houston, Dallas and along the border to silence the voters who live there.
What Texas is doing isn’t a clever strategy, it’s political arson — torching our democracy to cling to power. The only viable recourse is to fight fire with fire. This isn’t just a Texas issue. When Republicans rig congressional maps in one state, it weakens representation in every state. Every unfair seat they create tilts Congress further out of balance. If they get away with it now, 2026 will be the first of many stolen elections.
I may be governor of New York, but I will not sit on the sidelines with timid souls and merely watch while Republicans dismantle democracy. That’s not who we are. And that is certainly not the leadership that this moment calls for.
That’s why I was proud to host Texas House Democrats this week. These public servants left the state to follow a legitimate and legal tactic to deny Republicans a quorum and stop this scheme in its tracks. As John Lewis said, sometimes you have to get into good trouble. That’s what they’re doing — and they’re not alone.
Before our meeting in the New York State Capitol, I invited the delegation members to the governor’s residence, a home once occupied by former Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt. I wanted them to draw strength from his example. He led this nation through some of its darkest days. Like FDR, we know who we’re fighting for and who we’re fighting against.
Because this fight isn’t about maps. It’s about values. Fairness. Freedom. Representation. The very essence of our republic.
In New York, we’ve shown what’s possible when you expand access to the ballot instead of suppressing it. I signed the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act in 2022, the strongest law of its kind in the nation. I expanded voter registration and implemented early voting by mail. When Democrats lead, democracy gets stronger.
But we can’t do it alone. That’s why I’m in close touch with House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries and others working on how states can coordinate legal, legislative and constitutional strategies to fight back. We are also reviewing every legal and legislative option to redraw our own maps in New York. If Republicans are changing the rules, we’ll meet them on the same field, with strategy, with resolve and without apology.
Some will say this is too aggressive. I say it’s necessary.
What Texas Republicans are doing under Trump’s direction is nothing short of a legal insurrection on our Capitol. But using a legal system doesn’t make it legitimate. It’s a hijacking of democracy. And it must be stopped. A newsflash for Texas Republicans: this is not the Wild West. We will not be bystanders as our democracy is stolen in a modern-day stagecoach heist.
I fundamentally believe that while Texans and New Yorkers have our share of differences, we agree on basic fairness. You shouldn’t cheat to get ahead. And you must be willing to stand up for the democratic institutions that make this nation so exceptional. Americans are done with the cruelty, chaos and cowardice they have witnessed since 2025 began. They’re ready to vote Republicans out — and Republicans know it. That’s why they’re rigging the game before the next whistle blows.
But we can’t let them get away with it without a fight. Not on my watch.
If you refuse to fight for democracy, you’re doomed to lose it. I didn’t get into public service to lose. I got in to fight and to win on behalf of the people I serve. To every Texan standing up to Trump and Abbott’s scheme, you’re on the right side of history. We’re proud to stand with you.
To the rest of America, don’t be afraid to join this fight. If they rewrite the rules, then so will we.
All’s fair in love and war. Bring it on.
Kathy Hochul is the 57th and first female governor of New York State.
Nassau County, NY County Executive Bruce Blakeman has spent his entire time in office honing to the MAGA Trump Republican line in an attempt to curry favor – perhaps a position in the administration. He never fails to attack Democrats – cashless bail, affordable housing, gun safety – instead of working together with state and local leaders to improve lives, public health and safety of constituents. He is sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars of federal funding from the Biden administration, and blaming Biden for opioid addiction he attributes to “open borders”, rather than spend the funds from the opioid settlement on treatment. He has proved complicit with the Trump administration’s cruel and unconstitutional crackdown on undocumented migrants rather than address the real public safety threats, including historic levels of traffic fatalities and injuries and outsized incidents of violent crime, including gun and domestic violence, when the state and New York City are seeing significant drops.Instead, he has diverted funds to create a private militia and banned wearing mask in public (but not for the migrant capturers).
He actually refused to show up when Governor Kathy Hochul came to the county to announce hundreds of millions of dollars invested in a new state-of-the-art world-class gene therapy research lab, and had told the governor months before to “never set foot” in his county. He also left a ceremony announcing the completion of a $10 million Downtown Revitalization grant program before the Governor began her remarks.
Instead of seeking out state funding for climate action, infrastructure and economic development, or working collaboratively to increase the supply of affordable housing, he diverted $10 million in tourism promotion funding from Discover Long Island, a professional tourism marketing organization, to a home-based branding person with no experience or contacts in tourism marketing, and used $5 million in television commercials to market himself in places like Oklahoma.
This op-ed penned by Nassau County Legislator Olena Nicks provides an inside view of what happens when elected officials only practice politics for the sake of political power rather than governing for the benefit of constituents – that is, all constituents, not just to appease their own voters. –Karen Rubin, editor@news-photos-features.com
Olena Nicks, of Uniondale, was elected to the Nassau County Legislature in a February 2025 special election. She represents Nassau’s Second Legislative District.
By Olena Nicks
My first five months as a Nassau County Legislator have been an eye-opening lesson in the operations of government, and it has reinforced my belief in how necessary bipartisanship is for a strong government to function effectively and equitably. Unfortunately, as the old saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Nassau County Executive Bruce A. Blakeman’s hyper-partisan approach to local government has erected unnecessary roadblocks, creating an indelible impression in my mind of the tremendous obstacles that are created by such an approach.
Since the start of this Legislative term, County Executive Blakeman has processed dozens of Community Revitalization Project (CRP) grants for districts served by Republicans, thereby allowing 50 of their requests to reach the Legislative calendar in regular order. Meanwhile, he has stonewalled every request for districts served by Democratic legislators, delaying funding for improvements to local parks, schools and libraries and impeding the delivery of resources for the firefighters, EMS, and local police that keep us all safe.
As a longtime Uniondale Fire Department member, it is mind-boggling that someone would prioritize funding for our first responders based upon political representation. Every first responder steps up to serve and protect the public without fear, favor, or consideration of the party registration of the person they’re helping.
Funding for these grants is allocated to each Legislative district through the County’s capital plan, so the money is already in place. While the County Executive’s role is strictly to process the applications onto the Legislative calendar, he has consistently refused.
This spring, I stood with my Democratic colleagues as we drew a line in the sand. We agreed that we would not release our votes for the Fiscal Year 2025 capital infrastructure plan, which requires a 13-vote supermajority to pass, until the County Executive funded first responders in all of our communities. By including guardrails such as this supermajority requirement for bonding, the drafters of the Nassau County Charter recognized the role of bipartisanship in healthy local government – and the importance of giving the Minority appropriate leverage with which to force an obstinate majority or executive branch to the negotiating table.
Limiting or politicking CRPs is just one example of how dysfunctional government becomes when even routine issues become a political showdown. Consider the following:
Nassau County is the only municipality in our region that does not recognize Juneteenth, which marks the end of slavery in America, as an official holiday. I recently filed legislation, which was introduced in 2021 by former Legislator and current Senator Siela Bynoe, to effectuate this change and require the County to begin good-faith negotiations with our unions. Democrats have filed this four times, and each time, the Republican-controlled Legislature has refused to advance it. A separate measure I co-sponsored to match Suffolk County in recognizing July 1 as Muslim American Appreciation Day has similarly not moved.
Democrats have introduced common-sense legislative proposals to put epi-pens in every police vehicle, equip every park and athletic facility with defibrillators and bundle fentanyl testing strips with every Narcan kit we distribute. The County Executive has blocked each of these with assistance from a Republican Majority that operates more as a rubber stamp than a coequal branch of government.
And, as we speak, the County is sitting on $98 million in proceeds from various settlements with opioid manufacturers, retailers and distributors. To date, County Executive Blakeman has gotten just 9 percent of those funds to agencies that provide prevention, treatment and recovery resources.
Which brings us back to where we are now – the County Executive is still refusing to process our CRPs in regular order. Now, we are fighting for the Blakeman administration to release long-stalled grant funds for local libraries, schools and parks – including $150,000 to modernize Hempstead Village’s Mirschel Park, and $162,150 for a Westbury Fire Department memorial to members who made the ultimate sacrifice while in the line of duty.
To be clear, bipartisanship does not entail sacrificing one’s core values. It calls upon us to seek areas in which we share common goals – supporting our first responders, making communities safer and stronger for our families, and ensuring effective, responsive government. Making one community more vibrant uplifts all of Nassau County, and it is essential for us to work together to achieve that outcome whenever we can.
Although these first several months have brought their share of frustrating moments, I remain optimistic and committed to doing my part to restore a spirit of collaboration to our county and our nation when it is needed the most.
Olena Nicks, of Uniondale, was elected to the Nassau County Legislature in a February 2025 special election. She represents Nassau’s Second Legislative District.
