Governor Kathy Hochul / August 25, 2026
When I took office, I promised a fresh approach — one focused on delivering for New Yorkers and building a stronger state for the future. Five years later, look how far we’ve come.
State and local leaders, business and labor, communities and families came together to build New York back stronger.
And through it all, I’ve kept one promise at the center of everything I do: Your family is my fight.
YOUR FAMILY, MY FIGHT:
When I took office, child care was unaffordable and inaccessible for too many working families.
I made child care a top priority because parents shouldn’t have to choose between having a career and caring for their kids.
We’re taking historic steps toward universal child care, making Pre-K truly universal statewide, expanding access to 3-K in New York City, piloting community-wide child care for our youngest children, creating a new Office of Child Care and Early Education, and expanding subsidies to tens of thousands of additional families.
We’re also fighting for our kids in the classroom with free school meals and a bell-to-bell smartphone ban that helps students focus, learn, and thrive.
MORE MONEY IN YOUR POCKETS:
For too many families, the cost of everyday life is still too high. That’s why we’ve fought to put more money back in your pockets — with a new child tax credit, a ban on insulin copays, paid prenatal leave, auto insurance reforms, energy savings and the largest middle-class tax cut in decades.
And as tariffs and trade wars threaten to drive prices even higher, we’re standing up for New York families and fighting to keep costs down.
KEEPING NEW YORKERS SAFE:
Five years ago, New York was confronting a pandemic-era surge in gun violence and crime. I refused to accept that as the new normal.
We made a historic $4 billion investment in law enforcement and proven crime-fighting strategies. We strengthened our gun laws, got illegal guns off our streets, and took on emerging threats like untraceable 3D-printed firearms.
Today, shootings are down 60% from their pandemic peak, and subway crime is below pre-pandemic levels.
HOUSING, HOUSING, HOUSING:
New Yorkers need more homes they can afford, and we need to build them faster. That’s why in my 2026 State of the State, I announced that if a community says YES to housing, to critical water infrastructure projects, to parks and child care centers, then we’re going to say: Let Them Build.
We’re cutting unnecessary red tape and speeding up environmental reviews for eligible projects without compromising critical environmental protections. Because when local communities are ready to grow, Albany shouldn’t be the reason they have to wait.
More housing means more opportunities for New Yorkers to stay in the communities they love, set down roots and build a strong foundation for themselves and the next generation.
INVESTING IN INFRASTRUCTURE:
We’re also making historic investments in the infrastructure that will power New York for generations to come.
Congestion pricing is helping fund the Second Avenue Subway, the Interborough Express and other critical transit projects. We’re investing in our energy infrastructure to make our state more reliable and help bring down costs.
And across New York, we’re building the roads, bridges, transit systems and other infrastructure our communities need to grow and thrive.
Our work isn’t finished. This anniversary is a moment to take stock, but it’s not a moment to stop. New York has always persisted. We have always prevailed. And I know our best days are still ahead.
Your family is my fight. And I will never stop fighting for New Yorkers.
Ever Upward,
Gov. Kathy Hochul
