Politico

With help from Shawn Ness

New from New York

Happening now:

• Gov. Kathy Hochul knocks Trump on abortion rights.
• Lawmakers leave, again, without a budget deal.
• Randall’s Island has been safe for migrants, Adams said.
• Protesters arrested outside of Hochul’s office. 

DAYS THE BUDGET IS LATE: 9

HOCHUL TALKS ABORTION RIGHTS: Gov. Kathy Hochul continued her efforts this morning to help to keep President Joe Biden in the White House, targeting Donald Trump’s recent comments about abortion rights.

“How do you know when Donald Trump is lying? When his lips are moving,” Hochul quipped this morning on MSNBC’s Morning Joe.

The governor gave her first reaction to former President Donald Trump’s announcement Monday that he supports leaving the issue of abortion up to the states.

Hochul vowed on the morning show that Trump’s announcement will be “a jolt for the election” and a win for Biden.

“We could say ‘What day was the election really lost [for Trump]?'” Hochul said. “It may just have been the day that the solar eclipse occurred.”

Hochul has increasingly taken on the role of a Biden surrogate in recent months as she continues to trumpet a pro-Biden message on CNN and MSNBC. Her ascendant support of the president’s reelection bid also comes as Mayor Eric Adams — the self-proclaimed “Biden of Brooklyn" — has faded from the president’s embrace.

“We won't know for sure exactly by what margins, but this is a big boost for Joe Biden,” the state’s first woman governor said of Trump's abortion stance. “Trump fell into this. He should have kept his mouth shut because now he's antagonizing everybody.”

Trump’s Monday announcement suggests he won’t pursue a national abortion ban if elected, but the former president didn’t rule out signing one, either. He also did not say where he stands on other efforts to limit access to the abortion pill, mifepristone.

Hochul’s comments slamming Trump — she added that he’s “indicted himself in the eyes of women all over America” — comes as New York’s own version of the Equal Rights Amendment, which aims to enshrine reproductive rights in the state, is on the ballot in November.

“Every state, the record is there,” Hochul said. “When people have a chance to voice their position on abortion, they stand with the women — unlike Donald Trump.” — Jason Beeferman

SO LONG, BUT NOT FOR LONG: They’re leaving town, but they’re coming back.

Lawmakers won’t be meeting Wednesday for Eid al-Fitr, a fast-breaking holiday celebrated at the end of Ramadan, amid a late state budget for the fiscal year that started April 1.

“We expect an extender to be passed on Thursday,” Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told reporters, adding that the extender will run until Tuesday of next week.

The Assembly, on the other hand, will meet on Friday week to pass the extender as the sides remain undecided over the $233 billion spending plan that includes measures to address the state’s housing shortage and address retail theft.

After passing the extender on Thursday, Stewart-Cousins doesn’t expect senators to return until the start of next week: “We are at the beginning of the end, but the end is hard.” she said.

The leader has used that phrase before. On April 19 2023, Stewart-Cousins said lawmakers were at "the beginning of the end” of the budget process.

It took 13 days from that point to final passage. This year, the sides are poised to recess starting April 18 for two weeks because of Passover — so a goal is to get a deal before then, but the days are ticking away toward meeting that goal. — Jason Beeferman

HOUSING LACK OF DEALS: As the budget is now nine days late, progressive groups are still protesting to get their wants included in the budget, including a deal to ensure affordable housing.

Eight protesters were arrested outside of the governor’s office in the Capitol during a rally this afternoon.

“Economic and social mobility depends on a government, depends on leadership like [Assembly Speaker Carl] Heastie and [Senate Majority Leader] Andrea Stewart-Cousins to hold a powerful executive like Gov. Hochul, who's moving out of step with the vast majority of New Yorkers, to hold her accountable,” said Jawanza James Williams, a director at VOCAL New York.

“We need those two conferences, the Assembly and the Senate, to actually represent the people that put them there.”

What does that mean? For them, it’s getting the good cause eviction measure to protect tenant rights and the Housing Access Voucher program included in the state’s budget in a bid to help fight homelessness.

They also want to tax the rich and large corporations.

Cea Weaver, the coalition director at Housing Justice for All, said that it seems that Hochul seems to be more willing to meet with real estate executives and campaign donors than renters.

“I think we have been quite clear for months that we are not married to every crossed T or dotted I in our bill,” said Weaver, who was among those arrested. — Shawn Ness

SKIRMISH SURPRISE: Mayor Eric Adams said he “would have never predicted” how infrequently skirmishes occur on Randall’s Island, where the city is sheltering about 3,000 migrants under conditions he called “inhumane.”

“Three thousand people are placed into an environment — many of them are young — and told ‘You can’t do anything all day but sit there for the whole day,’” the mayor said today during an off-topic news conference. “I’m amazed at how well they’re doing.”

Randall’s Island has drawn headlines in recent months for violence among the migrants sheltered there, and Adams in January promised a “complete analysis” of the site’s safety precautions.

Today, he told reporters: “Evidently, we’re doing the right thing” by implementing security measures like metal detectors and curfews.

“We’re not seeing skirmishes hop up all the time,” Adams said. “We’re seeing just the opposite. We’re seeing people saying, ‘We want to wait so we can finally get our crack at the American dream.’” — Irie Sentner

SILENT TREATMENT: Adams declined to answer multiple questions today related to revelations that federal authorities are looking into free flight upgrades he accepted from Turkish Airlines and the city’s retention of a celebrity defense lawyer to represent the mayor in a sexual harassment case.

On Friday, a report in The New York Times indicated investigators from the FBI and the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York are looking at whether a Turkish Airlines executive vaulted Adams to the highest passenger status offered by the carrier, which is partially owned by the Turkish government’s sovereign wealth fund.

Additionally, City Hall has retained the services of Alex Spiro, who has in the past represented Elon Musk, Jay-Z and Alec Baldwin, in a sexual harassment case.

Adams, who has not been accused of wrongdoing by prosecutors and is facing the sexual harassment case in civil court, declined to go into details about either subject, saying that his legal team is handling the cases while he tends to the everyday business of governing.

“I've said this over and over again — I follow the laws,” Adams said at a press briefing when asked about details of the federal probe being publicized.

“I have great attorneys. My job is to run the city. They are to run the review. I am pleased with my attorneys, what they’re doing. And the process is going to take its course.” — Joe Anuta

CAUCUS PUSHES ON ENERGY ISSUES: Ensuring affordability while taking bold steps to address the climate crisis which disproportionately impacts many communities they represent is a priority for the NYS Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus.

Assemblymember Michaelle Solages, a Democrat from Nassau County and chair of the influential caucus, laid out some of the ways lawmakers could support those goals in an interview last month with Playbook.

The central question facing policymakers is how to fund the state’s climate efforts while preventing unpalatable costs for consumers.

“There are a lot of groups I see that are saying these laws are hurting New Yorkers. They're costing too much. And it's unfortunate because the cost of the climate crisis is already high in so many communities, including communities of color,” Solages said.

“We have high rates of asthma. When flooding happens, we can't afford to rebuild, and so we get displaced. And so at the end of the day, the cost is so high. We need to ensure that we're being smart about the transition, but also not afraid of being bold.”

Solages said the caucus supports the Climate Change Superfund measure, which seeks to charge fossil fuel companies for historical emissions from the fuels they sold, and a low-carbon fuel standard for the transportation sector.

Some environmental justice groups oppose the clean fuel standard, questioning whether it would ensure emissions reduction quickly for the communities they advocate for.

Solages sees it as a beneficial policy for heavy-duty vehicles that will be on the roads for years to come with less impact on individual consumers.

“It won't cost the ratepayers at the end of the day,” Solages said. The low-carbon fuel standard in California has added to gas prices, although proponents argue there’s not a significant correlation between low-carbon fuel credit costs and gasoline costs.

The NY HEAT, the legislative measure to cap energy bills as a percent of income, would end subsidies for new gas hookups and expand the Public Service Commission’s authority to decommission parts of the gas system, is also a caucus priority.

Solages said they’re urging some type of compromise or resolution to get it passed. The issue hasn’t yet been resolved in budget negotiations.

“This is the time that we need to just urge our leadership to be brave about the climate crisis and look at ways that we can ensure that we are transitioning to electric, but also not creating a disadvantaged situation for the ratepayers,” Solages said.

The caucus is also supportive of the $200 million for low-income ratepayers to help with utility bills. They also back more funding for electric school buses to help districts with the up-front expenses. — Marie J. French

— An appellate court rejected Trump’s efforts to delay his hush-money trial. (POLITICO)

— The Inspector General’s Office is investigating the Adirondack Park Agency. What they are looking for is not yet clear. (Times Union)

— A school in Brooklyn is experimenting with a 12-hour school day. (The New York Times)

‘Draconian’: Arizona Dems rage after abortion ruling

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With help from Shawn Ness

New from New York

Happening now:

• Gov. Kathy Hochul talks about the abortion pill.
• Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie gives a budget update.
• The effort is underway for a new anti-flavored vape bill.
• A small-scale solar industry is pushing for a new tax. 
• Democratic lawmakers want to raise taxes on the ultra-wealthy.

HOCHUL’S MIFEPRISTONE WARNING: The pending Supreme Court decision on the abortion pill mifepristone could have dire consequences for blue state voters, Gov. Kathy Hochul warned this morning on MSNBC.

Hochul’s “Morning Joe” hit represented a renewed dose of urgency Democrats are trying to impart to voters this election season as the party tries to harness concerns over abortion rights.

The governor and New York Democrats have long railed against red state measures meant to restrict access to abortion and other reproductive services. The criticism has always followed with a caveat that the state’s strong abortion laws provide a bulwark against whatever a socially conservative state might do.

After the 2021 Supreme Court decision striking down Roe v. Wade, abortion policy went back to statehouses across the country. New York and other Democratic-dominated states moved to bolster access to the procedure; officials in Republican-controlled states sought to restrict it.

But the case centering around mifepristone could be different, Hochul told the “Morning Joe” panel. The court today for 90 minutes heard arguments in a case stemming from an effort to bar access to the abortion pill; a decision is expected in June.

“If the Supreme Court doesn't overturn the decision of an unmedically trained judge in Texas, we need to understand that this is not just going to affect the red states,” Hochul said. “This is something that I will not be able to stop.”

Hochul touted the 150,000 doses of abortion medication that has been stockpiled in the state. She has also set aside $35 million to aid abortion services and people coming from outside of New York to have the procedure.

Democrats want to keep their base engaged on the abortion issue. In New York, voters this November will determine whether to add an amendment meant to enshrine a broad array of rights in the state constitution, including access to abortion.

The vote over the amendment could give Democrats a turnout boost and aid down-ballot candidates for the party along the way. The state is home to a half-dozen swing seats in the House.

“I'm going to tell you this — don't underestimate the rage of women in this country,” Hochul said in the interview.

Still, Republicans and people opposed to abortion have scoffed at the Democratic strategy to center the election around the issue. They argue it’s meant to distract voters from concerns surrounding crime, inflation and the migrant crisis in New York.

“Basically they’ve got to counter very legitimate arguments we have on public safety, let alone the quality of life concerns,” Conservative Party chairperson Gerard Kassar told Playbook.

Polls have shown voters in New York have persistent worries over crime, which Republican candidates have used effectively in elections over the last two years.

“It’s going to be incumbent on people who really understand what’s going on in New York to push back on this and she, in turn, has got to be hopeful that she can overcome what are, in my view, very serious current issues affecting people every day,” Kassar said. — Nick Reisman

HEASTIE ON THE BUDGET: Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie just gave an update on budget talks ahead of the Sunday deadline for an on-time deal.

“Sometimes in the budget, you might be in a different galaxy,” Heastie said. “I don’t know if we’re in the same country yet, but at least we’re on the same planet on most of the big issues.”

Here’s what he said on the big issues:

On housing, which is still being discussed “in the context of the budget: ” "Nothing’s settled. I think there’s a path, I think there’s an understanding. There’s a lot of pieces to the housing plan, but I’m cautiously optimistic…There is an understanding that tenant protections has to be part of anything."

On whether taxes might be raised on the rich despite Hochul’s opposition: "As I’ve always said, as long as we feel comfortable that everything that we feel is on the shopping list can be covered, I think we’ll be OK."

On social media regulation: "That’s on the table. The staff is talking about that."

On whether there will be an “examination” of school funding formulas: "I think yes, the formula hasn’t been updated in 17 years. So I do think, and particularly using census data from two censuses ago, so I think it’s only right… But we always want to make sure that the school districts have the resources they need."

On whether there will be an extender on Thursday: "I don’t think we need to deal with an extender on Thursday. We may have to deal with that on Tuesday. But if you start to say ‘extender,’ you’re admitting we can’t get it done … I don’t know if we’ll finish on Thursday, but this is the 10th budget I’m negotiating. I probably feel the most best, if that makes sense, this year than I have in any of the previous years." — Bill Mahoney

NO MORE FLAVORED VAPES: Two lawmakers want to close the loopholes that allow for retailers to sell flavored vapes four years after legislation was passed that banned the sale of flavored vapes.

“Big Tobacco owns most of the vaping companies that we've seen, and they've been trying to get kids and have been successful at getting kids hooked on vaping because of their fun flavors. They use cartoons, other advertising techniques to lure in young people,” Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal, a Manhattan Democrat, one of the bill’s sponsors said at the news conference.

Across the state, nearly 19 percent of high schoolers vaped during 2022, and 90 percent of vapers use flavored vapes.

“Every year, 46,000 people in New York state are diagnosed with tobacco-related cancers, and every year we lose another 19,000 New Yorkers to tobacco-related cancers. Despite this, the tobacco industry is seemingly still hell-bent on getting our children hooked onto their dangerous products,” state Sen. Brad Hoylman-Sigal, the Senate sponsor of the bill, said as he held up two popular vape products.

The sponsors said that when the 2020 ban was passed, they did not know how much of a challenge it would be to actually enforce it. They believe that this bill would “give teeth” to the enforcers once again.

The bill would prohibit the sale, inventory upkeep, packaging, processing and shipping of flavored vape products. — Shawn Ness

ADAMS DEFENDS AIDE: Tim Pearson, a top aide to Mayor Eric Adams, is still working after a city worker sued him for sexual harassment because he deserves due process, Adams said today.

“It’s due process. That’s the cornerstone of our country,” Adams said at a wide-ranging press conference, adding that Pearson was a first responder at the World Trade Center on 9/11, and so “is due due process.”

Other staffers haven’t gotten the same privilege as Pearson, who is a longtime personal friend of the mayor. Senior adviser Winnie Greco is being placed on unpaid leave after her homes were raided by the FBI in an apparent straw donor investigation. Greco has not been accused of any crime. Similarly, Rana Abbasova was put on leave from her International Affairs role after her home was raided, despite no charges being filed.

And this wasn’t Pearson’s first scandal — the Department of Investigation is reviewing his role in a scuffle at a migrant shelter, where eyewitnesses suggested he was the instigator.

Adams said he hasn’t spoken with Pearson since the suit was filed on Thursday.

The mayor will get no-cost representation by the city’s Law Department for the suit accusing him of sexual assault and retaliation in 1993. The city’s top lawyer, Corporation Counsel Sylvia Hinds-Radix, said her office was still determining whether Pearson and the other defendants, including NYPD Chief of Department Jeff Maddrey, will get the same.

Last month, Adams brushed off concerns about his idea to deport immigrants accused of serious crimes, saying, “They didn't give due process to the person that they shot or punched or killed.” He then backtracked and said he wasn’t trying to remove due process rights. — Jeff Coltin

SOLAR TAX BOOST PUSH: The state’s small-scale solar industry is pressing for a larger tax incentive that would also benefit people without tax liabilities.

Lawmakers, including Senate Environmental Conservation Committee Chair Pete Harckham and Assemblymember Latrice Walker, joined solar industry officials and environmental advocates pushing for inclusion of the proposal in the budget.

“There is an inequity here that folks with higher earnings can get incentives for solar,” Harckham said at a news conference.

The Senate included the measure — and several other incentives for renewable energy technologies — in its one-house budget. The bill would double the solar tax credit to $10,000 and make it refundable, as well as expand it to cover storage components. The Assembly included a proposal to exempt some storage projects from sales tax.

Walker said that the refund piece is key.

“This right here is a bill that helps out low-income families,” Walker said. “New York’s key residential solar incentive has not been accessible for those families for far too long. Making the tax credit refundable will correct that error and expand access to the benefits of solar energy for those who need it most.”

She said the Assembly prefers not to include policy in the budget, although the proposal has clear fiscal implications. The solar industry estimates the revenue impact would be about $31 million annually.

While the solar industry recently celebrated hitting 5 gigawatts of distributed solar in New York, with 1 gigawatt installed last year, installers are facing higher costs and declining incentives from NYSERDA.

“Deployment is a lagging indicator, “ said Noah Ginsburg, executive director of the New York Solar Energy Industries Association. “This is not a subsidy for our industry, it’s an incentive for homeowners.” — Marie J. French

TAX THE ULTRA-RICH: A group of Democratic lawmakers want to raise the taxes on the ultra-wealthy, roughly .3 percent of the state’s population. They also want to raise taxes for the most profitable corporations, roughly .1 percent of the state’s businesses.

“We know for a stable working class that we have to be able to have a place to live we have to have affordable transportation. We have to have education to get those jobs. We have to support our small businesses,” Assemblymember Anna Kelles said.

They lawmakers and coalitions believe that the hike would address the affordability crisis by investing the money back into health and safety programs.

“As we start wrapping up budget negotiations, we must stand strong to make billionaires and wealthy corporations pay their fair share so we can invest in our schools, build affordable housing, fully fund our hospitals, protect our environment, and uplift New York families," state Sen. Gustavo Rivera said in a statement. — Shawn Ness

HELPING CUNY STUDENTS: A New York City-based nonpartisan policy think tank is urging city and state officials to scale up programs that make it easier for CUNY students to transfer from community to four-year colleges — and eventually receive their degrees.

In a report today, the Center for an Urban Future pressed officials to expand access to academic support programs like CUNY Accelerate, Complete, Engage (ACE), which helps students earn their bachelor’s degree on time by providing them with services like academic advising, tuition scholarships, textbooks and transportation assistance.

They also called on leaders to launch a new CUNY Flex program to provide wraparound supports like a free Metrocard and advising to nontraditional students, including transfer, part-time and older students.

CUNY can also take some steps of its own, the think tank argued: create Transfer Success teams at each college to collect more data on transfer students’ experience and a new Transfer Academy to help faculty and administrators better understand transfer policies.

Though eight of every nine new community college students plan to transfer and complete at least a bachelor’s degree, only one in nine does so within six years, according to the report.

“Policymakers and elected officials need to double down on the evidence-based programs that are working to help these students — many of whom come from low-income backgrounds — successfully navigate the challenging transfer experience,” Jonathan Bowles, the think tank’s executive director, said in a statement. — Madina Touré

— An NYPD officer was fatally shot in Queens after making a vehicle stop. (Newsday)

— Rep. Jamaal Bowman contradicted his previous remarks after calling reports of Oct. 7 sexual assaults in Israel "propaganda." (POLITICO)

— The eligibility requirements for veterans to enroll in healthcare services has been expanded to include 23 new respiratory illnesses. (State of Politics)

Al Gore eulogizes his former running mate Joe Lieberman

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Chuck Todd bashes NBC on air for Ronna McDaniel hire

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With help from Shawn Ness

Two lawsuits that could determine the future of ethics enforcement in New York have advanced in the courts in recent weeks.

Either has the potential to send lawmakers back to the drawing board on Gov. Kathy Hochul’s signature good-government accomplishment — and one could determine whether ex-Gov. Andrew Cuomo will take a $5 million hit to his bank account.

Both suits involve the unique structure of the Commission on Ethics and Lobbying in Government that was created in Hochul’s 2022 budget. Like the oft-maligned Joint Commission on Public Ethics (JCOPE) that preceded it, most of the members are chosen by the elected officials whose behavior is policed by the commission.

But Hochul added an additional twist. There’s a panel run by law school deans that needs to sign off on the appointments.

Cuomo’s case, meanwhile, came after the new commission took steps to continue a JCOPE probe into whether he used state resources to author his memoir on the pandemic. JCOPE had attempted to force him to forfeit the $5.1 million he was paid for the book.

The ex-governor argued that the commission’s structure runs afoul of separation of powers ideals — it can investigate the executive branch, but the governor has only a minority of commissioners and even those are officially appointed by the panel of deans. An Albany County judge sided with Cuomo in September and said the commission is unconstitutional.

A mid-level appellate court granted a stay that allowed the commission to continue to exist. It heard arguments in Cuomo’s case last month, and a decision could be handed down in the coming weeks.

The other lawsuit came about after the panel of deans blocked Senate Minority Leader Rob Ortt’s selection of Gary Lavine on the grounds that his previous experience as a JCOPE commissioner “has negatively shaped his expectations regarding the new commission.”

Lavine argued in a suit that the state is “not allowed to delegate the confirmation power to any entity other than the Senate” based on his read of the state constitution, said Brian Ginsberg, a Harris Beach attorney representing Speaker Carl Heastie in the case.

But Ginsberg said that “hundreds of years of constitutional practice and precedence” have backed up the ability of the Legislature to hand power off to a screening commission like this one, and Lavine lost last year.

But that case is also moving forward. Final briefs were submitted to a Rochester-based appellate court last week, and oral arguments are scheduled April 8.

With the two cases on similar timetables, there’s a chance there will be conflicting appellate decisions on the commission’s constitutionality, guaranteeing that the Court of Appeals will weigh in on that subject in the near future.

And it’s a safe bet the losers will still ask the state’s top court to consider their cases even if the appellate courts come to similar conclusions. — Bill Mahoney

BLAZING A TRAIL: Hochul announced today a new online timeline in celebration of New York State Parks’ Centennial.

The timeline will be arranged by eight chronological eras, and, as of right now, the first two eras are up and running. The first two eras are “Laying the Foundation: 1850-1924,” and “Adopting The Park Plan: 1924-1929.” The rest of the installments will be added throughout the year.

“The New York State Parks Centennial is the perfect opportunity to explore the rich history of our parks and historic sites,” Hochul said in a statement. “Local leaders, philanthropists, businesses and people from across this state worked together to create a nation-leading parks system that has become one of New York’s most cherished recreational and cultural treasures.”

The program will utilize photos, illustrations, paintings, documents, archived footage and maps to tell the story of New York’s parks.

The timeline is one of five initiatives launched to celebrate the centennial of the nation’s oldest parks system. The others consist of an exhibit in the Capitol tunnel; the “Share Your Story Project;” the Centennial Challenge and the release of a merchandise collection.

“When people experience ‘Blazing A Trail,’ they will gain an understanding of the forces that shaped the park system we know and love today and a greater appreciation of this public treasure,” Randy Simons, the commissioner pro tempore of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, said in a statement. — Shawn Ness

SUBWAY SHOOTING: While ostensibly hitting the airwaves this morning to highlight a new agreement between the administration and an influential construction union, Mayor Eric Adams ended up talking a lot about a shooting on the subway yesterday afternoon, when a scuffle on a Brooklyn A train ended with one person shot in the head and in critical condition.

As subway safety has become a political hot potato as of late, Adams talked up his administration’s recent efforts to bolster NYPD ranks underground. He also called on state lawmakers to strengthen Kendra’s Law, the statute that allows officials to involuntarily commit someone deemed to be having a mental health crisis.

“At the heart of this, if you do an analysis … we are dealing with far too many people in our system that are dealing with severe mental health illnesses,” Adams told PIX 11. “And that is why our pursuit to do involuntary removal in Albany and strengthening the Kendra's law is so important right now.”

While Adams did not mention Kendra’s Law during his annual trip to Capitol earlier this year to outline the administration’s state legislative priorities, his office said he has sought for years to clarify several portions of the law that would make it easier for his administration to intervene when officials deem someone cannot care for themselves.

Meanwhile, the man who shot another man on the subway appears to have acted in self defense, prosecutors said. — Joe Anuta

TENANT PROTECTION: The Adams administration launched a multi-agency initiative today aimed at protecting New York City tenants.

The new “Tenant Protection Cabinet” will facilitate coordination across about two dozen agencies and offices to help ensure renters are connected to resources they need, boost underutilized tenant services and develop policies to make it easier for tenants to access support.

The cabinet will be co-chaired by Maria Torres-Springer, the deputy mayor for housing and Leila Bozorg, the executive director for housing

“Homes are more than brick and mortar — they are places where New Yorkers who rent can build their American Dreams. Together, this cabinet will work to deliver relief for tenants and working-class New Yorkers,” Adams said in a statement. — Janaki Chadha

LEAVE IT BLANK: Two former candidates for office in New York City and other organizers this week launched the Leave it Blank NY campaign to encourage voters to cast blank ballots in New York’s primary election in protest of President Joe Biden’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war.

“Tell Biden ‘Count me out for genocide,’ submit a blank ballot on April 2nd,” the website said.

New York does not have the option of write-ins on its ballot, so the workaround is to cast blank ones.

The campaign is paid for by Hesham El-Meligy, a Democrat who ran for New York City comptroller in 2013, and Brittany Ramos DeBarros, a House candidate in Staten Island under the Working Families Party in 2022.

“As Democrats, we know how much is at stake in the upcoming general election, and are deeply concerned by the thousands and thousands of voters who we know are very upset about the fact that Biden has continued to block international efforts for a cease-fire,” DeBarros told Playbook.

DeBarros, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Afghanistan, warned that Biden’s position on the war in Gaza could cost Democrats in November.

“It was devastating to be on the ground in war and to watch families and people flee me and people with me out of absolute terror because of what had been a decade of war,” she said. “And when I look at the videos or the photos that I've seen in Gaza, I remember those looks that people had when fleeing or getting gunned down as they are just trying to get flour to survive or humanitarian aid.”

DeBarros hopes that in the next two weeks or so they will have an operational phone bank. She said she has talked to organizers in Minnesota who ran successful phone banks for similar campaigns and spent around $15,000, which is what she is aiming for with Leave it Blank NY.

The campaign has been modeled after ones for voters to cast their votes as “uncommitted” in places like Michigan, Minnesota, Washington and Hawaii. — Shawn Ness

MEDICAID CONCERNS: Nearly 100 patient groups and community health advocates sent a letter to Hochul demanding she address what they deem as a Medicaid funding crisis.

They are calling for her to raise the reimbursement rate for hospitals and nursing homes.

Nearly 4.2 million New Yorkers are on Medicaid. According to the NY State Alliance for Healthcare Justice, the state is paying hospitals 30 percent less than the actual cost of care and 24 percent less for nursing homes.

The push comes as lawmakers and Hochul are at odds over Medicaid funding ahead of the April 1 start of the fiscal year. Medicaid is the largest piece of the state budget when federal funding is included.

“For decades, Medicaid underpayments have created unacceptable health disparities among the vulnerable people we serve, especially in the Latino community, where we face worse health outcomes, shorter life expectancies, and higher rates of infant mortality,” Roxanne Marin, the regional director of Centro Civico in Albany, said in a statement.

The groups said Medicaid’s underfunding negatively impacts those of Black and Latino communities, in particular. — Shawn Ness

MIN WAGE LAMENT: Advocates who are pushing for a change in the state’s minimum wage law were disappointed the Democratic-led Legislature did not include a raise for tipped workers in their budget resolutions this week.

The lack of support for the provision from the state Senate and Assembly likely puts a damper on the measure being included in a final budget agreement by the end of month. But supporters are still holding out hope.

“We urge Governor Hochul to support the inclusion of the bill in the final budget,” Saru Jayaraman, the president of the One Fair Wage coalition, said in a statement. “New Yorkers deserve predictable and stable wages for their hard work.”

Business organizations have pushed back on efforts to hike the minimum wage this year, including for counties north of Westchester. The tipped wage in New York ranges from $10 cash wage plus a $5 credit for food service workers upstate to $10.65 cash wage and a $5.35 credit in the New York City area. — Nick Reisman

— Brooklyn, the Bronx and Queens ranked in the top six nationally for losing the most residents to other states in 2023. (POLITICO PRO)

— Sen. Tim Kennedy got an endorsement from Attorney General Tish James for his congressional bid. (Buffalo News)

— The New York Thruway is preparing for the eclipse. (Democrat and Chronicle)