Gotham Gazette

The Place for New York Policy and politics

Joe Biden

Joe Biden

  • What Advocates and Electeds Say Mayor Adams Should Be Doing Differently About the Asylum-Seeker Crisis

    Mayor Adams and others tour a HERRC (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


    As the migrant asylum-seeker crisis continues to escalate, and another surge of arrivals has begun after a federal pandemic-era border policy expired last week, Mayor Eric Adams is taking increasingly desperate steps to ease the impact on New York City.

    While virtually everyone agrees that the federal and state governments should do more to help the city, critics say there are still several concrete measures the mayor has failed to

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  • ‘We Need Historic Leadership from Biden and Schumer’: Jamaal Bowman on ‘Build Back Better’ Negotiations, Mayor-elect Adams, & More

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    Rep. Jamaal Bowman in Washington, D.C. (photo: @RepBowman)


    U.S. Rep. Jamaal Bowman says he is optimistic about the incoming mayoral administration, even going so far as to say Eric Adams has the potential to be “one of the best mayors in New York City history,” but he’s less bullish about the state of Build Back Better in Congress, owing to what he describes as donor-driven obstruction by West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin.

    Bowman, a freshman legislator who represents the Bronx and Westchester in Congress after defeating longtime incumbent Eliot Engel in a Democratic

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  • Max Politics Podcast: Rep. Jamaal Bowman on 'Build Back Better,' Democratic Compromise, & More

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    Rep. Bowman with top New York leaders (photo: Mike Groll/Office of Governor Kathy Hochul)


    December 21, 2021 - Rep. Jamaal Bowman on 'Build Back Better,' Voting Rights, & More

    Congressional Rep. Jamaal Bowman, a first-term progressive representing New York's 16th Congressional District, which covers parts of the Bronx and Westchester, joined the show to discuss where things stand on 'Build Back Better' and other top items on his agenda, how Democrats can come to a compromise on the massive

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  • De Blasio Outlines Spending Plan for $5.9 Billion in Direct Federal Pandemic Aid

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    Mayor de Blasio's 'recovery budget' was helped by federal aid (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


    Since the March passage of the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan, the nation's most recent pandemic-era stimulus package, de Blasio administration officials have been crafting a plan to use close to $5.9 billion in direct federal funding to New York City government.

    A new report from the de Blasio administration, required by the federal stimulus

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  • Schumer Says Big Infrastructure Package is on Deck; What's on New York City's List?

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    Senator Chuck Schumer at City Hall (photo: Benjamin Kanter/Mayoral Photo Office)


    As Mayor Bill de Blasio celebrated the passage of President Joe Biden’s American Rescue Plan, which will deliver $6 billion in direct aid to New York City government and many additional billions to New Yorkers, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer had more good tidings to offer as he promised that a massive infrastructure program is next on the agenda. 

    Biden has proposed a $2 trillion “Build Back Better” plan to invest in infrastructure and combat climate change. It’s

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  • After Overstating Budget Deficits, Cuomo and De Blasio Get Big Federal Bailout

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    Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio (photo: Ed Reed/Mayor's Office)


    Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio have spent many months warning New Yorkers about cratering tax revenues because of the coronavirus pandemic, outlining yawning budget gaps that could force them to make drastic spending cuts to state and city services and lay off thousands of government workers. But while the fiscal future remains uncertain, their worst predictions did not come to pass — revenues were higher than expected and significant federal aid has flowed to New

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  • Biden Plan Gives New York State a Two-Year Reprieve from a Damaged Budget

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    Joe Biden and Andrew Cuomo (photo: governor's office)


    President Biden’s stimulus package is proceeding down the legislative path in Congress. This is great news for New York residents and for New York governments’ beleaguered budgets. The $1.9 trillion plan includes $350 billion for State and Local Governments, Tribes, and Territories.

    The monies will likely be apportioned in a manner similar to the earlier stimulus package,

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: What the De Blasio Administration Wants from the Biden Administration

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    Mayor de Blasio (photo: Benjamin Kanter/Mayoral Photo Office)


    January 20, 2021 - Max & Murphy Podcast: What the De Blasio Administration Wants from the Biden Administration

    Bill Neidhardt, press secretary for Mayor de Blasio, joined the show to discuss the de Blasio administration's priorities when it comes to the new Biden administration in Washington.

    Listen to the conversation and let us know what you think -- we're on Twitter @TweetBenMaxand ...

  • We Need Joe Biden to Become the Climate President, and for Chuck Schumer to Help Get Him There

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    Joe Biden with solar panels (photo: Christopher Dilts/Biden for President)


    Climate change poses an existential threat to humanity. Global warming and extreme weather are accelerating.

    We need Joe Biden to be the Climate President, especially after the four lost years under  climate-denier Donald Trump. This begins with Biden taking comprehensive executive action on climate change on day one.

    A number of large coalitions (e.g., ClimatePresident.org) have outlined a comprehensive list of executive actions

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  • Cuomo Launches 2021 State of the State Agenda with Focus on Covid Recovery, Future of New York Economy

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    Governor Cuomo delivers his annual State of the State speech (photo: Darren McGee/Office of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo)


    Governor Andrew Cuomo spoke like an army general rallying his troops as he delivered his first in a series of 2021 State of the State speeches on Monday, from the War Room of the state Capitol building in a virtual address necessitated by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Befitting its setting, Cuomo’s speech was rife with metaphors of a state at war as he outlined a vision for a “post-covid reconstruction” of a “suffering” New

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  • Shaun Donovan Officially Launches Campaign for Mayor of New York City

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    Shaun Donovan (photo: Donovan campaign)


    Shaun Donovan, formerly a cabinet secretary under President Barack Obama and commissioner under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, officially launched his 2021 campaign for mayor of New York City on Tuesday. Donovan, who has been fundraising, taking meetings, and appearing at candidate forums for months, is one of a large and diverse field of candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in the June primary.  

    Donovan, who grew up on the Upper East Side and now lives in Brooklyn, is a first-time candidate for elected office but has been in

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  • Breaking Down Final 2020 Vote Tallies Across New York City

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    Joe Biden (photo: Adam Schultz/Biden for President)


    New York City's long-awaited election results were finally certified Tuesday, four weeks after polls closed and just past the state's statutory deadline, making the five boroughs one of the last jurisdictions in the country to finalize the 2020 count.

    The results show that, in a year with significantly more ballots cast and massive changes in party alignments, the Democratic Party made barely any gains in presidential turnout, while the smaller, more progressive Working Families Party made huge strides as it

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  • New York City is Ready for Biden-Harris Diplomacy at Home and Abroad

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    Then-Vice President Joe Biden (photo: governor's office)


    Over the last four years, our city and nation have watched as the Trump administration targeted immigrant communities with punitive policies and lashed out at local leadership who disagreed with his politics. With unprecedented climate events and a pandemic that has upended our lives, cities like ours have been left to fend for themselves. Indeed, this abdication of responsibility on the national and global stage has been a recurring theme.

    That is about to change. 

    The incoming Biden-Harris administration has

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  • ‘Hanging On’ is Not a Management Strategy

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    Mayor de Blasio (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography)


    As required by the state Financial Control Act, last Monday Mayor de Blasio presented a modification of New York City’s current fiscal year budget and four-year financial plan. This “first quarter mod” is usually a no-drama, technical adjustment that makes few substantive changes to the budget adopted at the

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  • Trump Decimated Refugee Admittance; Biden Promises Massive Expansion — What it Means in New York

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    A New York City rally in support of asylum-seeking refugees (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    As part of a systematic dismantling of providing asylum to refugees in the United States, the Trump administration in October 2020 reduced the cap on resettling refugees in the country to just 15,000 for fiscal year 2021, which runs from October 1, 2020 to September 30, 2021, down from 18,000 for fiscal year 2020, and from 85,000 in the last year of the Obama administration.

    These reductions have a significant impact not only on those seeking refuge in the United

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  • Voter Turnout in New York City Jumped 7.5% from 2016 to 2020

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    Voters in 2020 (photo: Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office)


    Despite concerns about how the coronavirus pandemic may affect voter turnout, more than 2.97 million New York City voters cast a ballot in the 2020 general election, an increase of about 7.5% or 210,000 more votes than were cast in the city in the last presidential election, in 2016.

    By election night, more than 2.25 million New York City residents had voted in person, 1.1 million of whom cast a ballot in the nine days of early voting before Election Day. As expected, absentee voting

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  • New York Advocates Launch $1 Million Campaign for Federal Immigration Reform

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    A march to end family separation at the border (photo: John McCarten/City Council)


    After four years of the Trump administration’s cruel and hard-line policies intended to slow immigration to a crawl, immigration advocates in New York and beyond were overjoyed that Democrat Joe Biden will become the next President of the United States. Biden and his running mate, Kamala Harris, ran on a promise to immediately overturn Donald Trump’s many punitive and limiting administrative actions on immigration and to pursue comprehensive

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  • New Yorkers Celebrate Biden Victory, Defeat of Trump

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    Brooklynites celebrate Biden's win, Trump's loss (photo: Ethan Geringer-Sameth/Gotham Gazette)


    It was a great day for the Doppler effect Saturday in Brooklyn as a near constant stream of car horns trumpeted elation after it became clear Joe Biden had won Pennsylvania and clinched the 2020 presidential election. Throngs of New Yorkers took to the streets, plazas, and parks to breathe a collective, mostly masked, sigh of relief.

    In New York, that sigh took the form of spontaneous dancing on sidewalks and in streets, clanging pots and pans, and uncorking

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  • What's At Stake for New York City in the 2020 Presidential Election

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    Joe Biden, with Andrew Cuomo (photo: governor's office)


    The country will be watching, and voting, with bated breath on Tuesday as the most consequential presidential election in decades nears conclusion. More than 84 million Americans have already cast their ballots in early voting and turnout is expected to break records despite the lingering coronavirus pandemic. 

    There’s much at stake for New York City in this election and it’s an understatement

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  • 9 Things to Watch in the 2020 General Election in New York

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    Assemblymember Nicole Malliotakis, left, & Rep. Max Rose face off in NY-11


    Voting in the 2020 general election is set to come to a conclusion on Tuesday, November 3, Election Day. The full, official results won't be known for weeks.

    The eyes of the world are on the presidential race between President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden, and it's unclear when a winner may be declared.

    Though it's unlikely Trump can pull off an upset and beat Biden in New York, voters here have been going to the polls in large numbers, just

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  • Max & Murphy Podcast: Supporters of Democratic Presidential Candidates Make Their Case

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    (l-r) Henry Munoz, Chris Coffey, Aaron Mendelsohn, Tristian Thomas-Allen, Antonio Reynoso, Ana Maria Archila, Ben Max, Jarrett Murphy


    February 26, 2020 - Max & Murphy Podcast: Supporters of Democratic Presidential Candidates Make Their Case

    It was a very lively discussion as the presidential primary heats up. Max & Murphy hosted a special live show panel discussion with supporters of six major Democratic presidential candidates: Antonio Reynoso for Warren; Ana Maria Archila for Sanders; Aaron Mendelsohn for Klobuchar; Chris Coffey

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  • Everyone's Talking About Paid Family Leave, Only Compromise Will Yield a Deal

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    Cuomo's paid family leave rally (photo via The Governor's Office)


    Last week, the New York State Assembly passed a one-house bill creating a program that would allow workers to take time off to care for a new child or sick loved one while receiving a portion of their usual pay. It is the fifth year in a row the Assembly has done so. "It's appropriate we're here on Groundhog Day, since we've been coming back year after year for paid family leave," said Donna Dolan, head of the New York State Paid Family Leave Coalition, at a press

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  • The Week Ahead in New York Politics, July 27

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    New York City Hall


    What to watch for this week in New York politics:

    BIDEN IN NY: Monday starts off with a bang as Vice President Joe Biden is in New York, first events with Governor Andrew Cuomo in Rochester, then New York City. According to Cuomo's office,  Biden and Cuomo will appear at 11 a.m. at SUNY Polytechnic Canal Ponds in Rochester, where they "will deliver remarks on the economy" and then at 2:45 at the Sheraton New York on 7th Avenue, Biden and

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