Published Feb. 19, 2026, 4:41 p.m. ET
ALBANY – Gov. Kathy Hochul’s state budget proposal is already ballooning by another roughly $3 billion, as she piles more money into the Big Apple despite Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s insistence on slapping New Yorkers with new taxes.
The new spending, which brings the state budget to an eye-watering $262.7 billion, also includes $150 million to help other financially struggling upstate cities after Hochul announced she would pick up the tab for $1.5 billion of New York city’s expenses earlier this week.
The amended budget also scales back Hochul’s extension of pilot programs for autonomous vehicles outside New York City.
