NYC Mayor and City Council Speaker Delay Budget Proposal Amid State Negotiations

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 03:40:00 +0200

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council Speaker Julie Menin, who have recently been at odds over how to resolve the city's multibillion-dollar budget deficit, have reached a temporary agreement to collaborate. The two leaders, who have clashed publicly—with the mayor previously criticizing the speaker’s budget proposals as 'unrealistic'—appeared together at City Hall to announce that they are delaying the release of the mayor's executive budget proposal until May 12.

This delay is primarily driven by the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the New York State budget, which is now nearly a month past its deadline. By pushing back their own deadline, Mamdani and Menin are signaling to Albany that they are awaiting clarity on state funding before finalizing the city's financial outlook. The joint appearance also highlights a strategic shift: instead of focusing solely on internal city budget cuts or tax hikes, both leaders are now aligning to pressure Governor Kathy Hochul for mo