New York, NY—Today, the New York City Mayor and City Council agreed to an $107 billion executive budget for fiscal year 2024, with $8 billion in reserves. This includes restoring the $36.2 million investment in the public library system; increasing baseline funding for Fair Fares to $95 million to expand eligibility; $16 million in funding for 600 Promise NYC child care slots for undocumented children and their families; $4 million to continue funding for DOE’s Immigrant Family Engagement program, which helps parents, who either do not speak English or are outside the nine standard translated languages, communicate with schools about their children’s education. Among the programs excluded from funding are providers who run reentry programs for individuals in city jails; as well as cuts to essential Department of Education programs.
Murad Awawdeh, Executive Director, New York Immigration Coalition:
“New York City’s number one asset is its people—the residents of this great city. When we make thoughtful investments in New Yorkers our rate of return is immeasurable. We are disappointed to see that NYC’s FY24 budget has largely failed to make the kind of visionary investments needed to secure the well-being of every New Yorker. While the budget restores much needed funding to our public libraries and for Promise NYC, the lack of deeper, more meaningful investments in the CUNY system and Department of Education programs and services will not only harm all students, but it will also harm the future of our city. The Mayor’s continued scapegoating of asylum seekers and use of the cost of housing them as a rationale for austerity measures—including a lack of further investment in legal services funding—will ultimately hurt the ability of our newest New Yorkers to get on the road to employment, self-reliance, and their ability to leave the very same overburdened and costly shelter system."
“We are grateful and thank the NYC Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, Finance Chair Justin Brannan, and the entire City Council for their leadership and for making important progress during the negotiations with Mayor Adams that ultimately restored many of the proposed cuts. We are thankful for the continued investments to Promise NYC, Adult Literacy, Access Health NYC, Immigrant Health Initiative, Welcome NYC, and Key to the City programs, which are all vital to ensuring that our immigrant neighbors can access the services they need to not just survive, but thrive in this city. We also acknowledge the Council Members who voted no on this budget because the five boroughs of NYC deserve better than the bare minimum that the Mayor is forcing on us.”