New York Mayor Eric Adams (D-NY) agreed to a City Council budget proposal passed on Sunday that will reinstate funding for programs such as libraries and early childhood education, ending months of animosity toward the mayor for his cuts to such initiatives.
The $112.4 billion plan passed 46-3 in the council and assumed $800 million more in revenue than an April spending blueprint, allowing funding for some unpopular proposed cuts to return.
“Our administration’s mission is clear: Protect public safety, rebuild our economy, and make this city more livable — and this budget is a direct testament to that mission,” Adams said in a statement. “We faced our challenges head-on with the City Council, and thanks to our strong fiscal management, we are able to pass a budget that all New Yorkers can be proud of.”
The budget doesn’t restore all of Adams’s cuts to early childhood education, but it restores about $20 million. The program continues to face a $150 million shortfall compared to last year.
The additional funding will likely help the mayor’s future electoral ambitions as he had been polling very poorly, with only 16% of voters in the area committed to him, in the wake of his cuts and problems with incoming migrants.
The budget also includes the addition of $2 billion in capital construction spending to preserve and build more affordable housing while restoring funding to libraries, museums, and other cultural institutions.
Some of the previous budget troubles emanate from the migrants who have been provided for from Adams’s administration at a large cost to the city.
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The three dissenting votes in the council all came from socialists who denounced additional police spending over their proposed programs. The city’s chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America said it will look for a candidate to defeat Adams when he’s up for reelection next year.
Ms. Rachel, an internet sensation known for her soft-spoken children’s videos, criticized Adams in April over seismic cuts to young children’s education since he took office.