New York, NY – June 30, 2025 – Today, with the adoption of the FY26 City Budget, NYC Council Member Pierina Sanchez issued the following statement: 

“In the face of growing threats from Washington, we must continue to fight for a budget that reflects our values,” said NYC Council Member Pierina Sanchez, Chair of the Committee on Housing and Buildings. “I want to thank Speaker Adams and my Council colleagues for their efforts to secure nearly $75 million in new legal assistance for immigrants, a $15 million expansion of programs for those with serious mental illness, and a $10 million pilot that will provide free childcare for hundreds of families with children ages 0-2. These investments go beyond restoration of the Mayor’s cuts; they are real wins that will make a tangible impact in our communities. I sincerely hope we can build upon these accomplishments in future budgets — to deliver universal childcare, true community safety, and a city government that embraces immigrant New Yorkers.”

“I am tremendously proud the FY26 Budget includes the hard-fought $4 billion in City for All commitments our Council secured in December, new funding for supportive housing, and Council initiatives that will house LGBTQIA+ youth and survivors of domestic violence,” she continued. “Even as we continue to increase housing stability investments for New Yorkers, we cannot afford to slow progress amidst dire federal cuts. Our precious rent-stabilized buildings are falling deeper into disrepair. Tenants are forced to live in undignified conditions, while negligent landlords evade accountability. Ending these injustices demands more resources — but the resources we continue to call for will not materialize under this Mayor. The NYC Department of Housing Preservation & Development continues to be short-changed, and the results have consequences: a year-long wait to assign a project manager to a preservation deal, a 14% staff vacancy rate that is triple the average across all agencies, chronic delays for pay-out of discretionary contracts to frontline organizations, and a sharp increase in housing violations citywide. While the current Administration is content to take victory laps on ‘record-breaking’ numbers, much more is needed to deliver the funding we need to treat this crisis like a crisis. I am voting yes on today’s budget and I look forward in future years to achieving the paradigm shift we so desperately need.”