Kathy Hochul outlines 2026 New York initiatives in annual state address
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul outlined her proposed policies for the year in her State of the State address on Tuesday, as she campaigns for reelection in November. Avery Magee | Photo Editor
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New York Gov. Kathy Hochul detailed over 200 state initiatives amid her campaign for reelection in November during her annual State of the State address Tuesday.
The 60-minute speech, following a performance by Syracuse University’s Pride of the Orange Marching Band, was one Hochul deemed “a chance to look to the future.” She highlighted initiatives she intends to integrate beginning in 2026, including programs for child care and immigration.
“This year calls for us to reflect on something bigger than this moment,” Hochul said. “The origins of our nation, founded 250 years ago this year, and how that history shapes where we are and where we must go from here.”
The crowd included recently elected New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Attorney General Letitia James, Assembly Majority Leader Crystal Peoples-Stokes and Senate Minority Leader Robert Ortt as well as judges of the New York Court of Appeals, Hochul said.
Before detailing her goals for the future, Hochul said “the real threat” for New York and the rest of the country lies within President Donald Trump, his “enablers” in Congress and their policies on immigration and tariffs. Hochul mentioned the recent death of Renee Good, a woman killed last week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“The world watched as an immigration operation in Minneapolis that never should have happened — left a child without a mother, and a community, and indeed a nation, shattered,” Hochul said.
This comment follows over 1,000 estimated nationwide events and protests condemning ICE and its practices, including one held Monday in Syracuse, honoring Good.
Assembly Republican Minority Leader Will Barclay, who also attended the address, issued a Tuesday statement disagreeing with Hochul’s comments regarding ICE and illegal immigration.
“Immigration is governed by federal law, and no state can simply declare it will play by its own rules,” Barclay wrote in his statement. “Until New York Democrats acknowledge that reality, taxpayers and local communities will continue to bear the costs of policies that defy common sense and accountability.”
Hochul said public safety is a priority for her administration, but emphasized doing it legally and “with humanity.” She said New Yorkers must hold ICE agents accountable, and said she will “not allow” masked ICE agents into schools, hospitals and places of worship without a warrant signed by a judge.
“And when boundaries are crossed, accountability matters. No one from the president on down is above the law,” Hochul said. “Let me repeat: no one.”
Following new legislation by Hochul that aims to stop the demolition of over 71,000 New York homes, she introduced $750 million in state funding to be distributed to communities that “say ‘yes’ to housing.” Hochul also promised to invest $250 million in affordable housing and hold landlords accountable.
Hochul directly referenced central New York in mentioning Onondaga County’s Micron Technology project in Clay, expressing excitement over the project’s Friday groundbreaking ceremony. She added she will invest over $500 billion in related training programs.
“We’re ushering in a rebirth of manufacturing, one that’s built to last,” Hochul said. “In 2022, we enacted the nation’s largest semiconductor incentive program, ensuring the defining technology of our time would be built in New York by New Yorkers.”
Hochul said she will also aim to once again raise New York’s minimum wage and improve paid family leave, which includes a child tax credit of up to $1,000.
Childcare, a core focus of Hochul’s address, is an “urgent” issue she said she is “doubling down on.” She reemphasized her previous plan to introduce statewide universal childcare, including over $8 billion in investments from her administration.
She also said he hopes to introduce universal Pre-K across the state in 2028 for every four-year-old, mirroring her recent partnership with Mamdani to fully fund two years of his free childcare program in New York City.
In addition, Hochul said she plans to add to the State Child Care Assistance Program to allow tens of thousands of additional families to benefit from $15-per-week care.
The initiative was largely supported by organizations such as New York State United Teachers, who said they are ready to “stand shoulder to shoulder” with Hochul and her team in a Tuesday statement.
However, the focus was challenged by Barclay, as well as the progressive New York Working Families Party.
“If the Governor is serious about bringing down costs, we need to unlock new streams of revenue that are only possible by taxing the ultra rich,” NYWFP co-directors Jasmine Gripper and Ana María Archila wrote in a Tuesday statement.
In an effort to increase affordability, Hochul said she wanted to lower statewide costs of car insurance in New York, which total $1,500 over the national average. She said the gap is due to fraud and “a system that rewards illegal behavior,” such as drunk driving or driving without a license.
Hochul said crime is hitting “record lows” after four years of investments of over $3 billion in police and public safety. She also cited improvements to the state legislature, including creating the “strongest” gun laws in the nation.
In the future, Hochul said she expects to expand her network of Crime Analysis Centers across the state, utilizing data, coordination and smart enforcement to “stay ahead” of criminals, while also increasing police presence in the New York City subway system.
Hochul touted pride throughout her four years in office, citing housing projects, minimum wage increases and hydropowered New York homes, as well as the new Buffalo Bills stadium and the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted at MetLife Stadium in July.
Hochul faces reelection for governor this November and received the endorsement of Syracuse Mayor Sharon Owens Tuesday.
“I believe with my whole heart that government can and must be a force for good. And over the last four years, we’ve proven it,” Hochul said. “We took our State emerging from a crisis and powered a comeback that few believed was possible.”
