1. Government Shutdown Ends
On Wednesday night, President Donald Trump signed a spending package into law that ended the federal government shutdown after 43 days, the longest shutdown in U.S. history. The U.S. House voted 222 to 209 after eight Democrats in the U.S. Senate joined Republicans in allowing the spending measure to move forward. The eight Senate Democrats dropped their key demand that the legislation extend the enhanced Affordable Care Act subsidies that are set to lapse at year’s end. Instead, as part of the deal, the Senate will vote on the enhanced subsidies next month.
The bill funds most federal agencies through January 30 and provides full-year funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2026. It also guarantees retroactive pay for the approximately 1.4 million federal employees who were furloughed or required to work without pay during the shutdown. In addition, the legislation reverses agency actions to reduce staffing levels during the lapse in appropriations, restoring the federal workforce to its pre-shutdown levels.
U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi, who represents parts of Long Island, was the only Democratic member of New York’s delegation to vote in favor of the measure. All other New York Democrats, including Sen. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand, opposed the bill, while every Republican representative from the state supported it.
2. State Budget Gaps
The New York State Division of Budget (DOB) is now projecting smaller budget gaps in Fiscal Year 2027, reducing the anticipated deficit from $7.5 billion to $4.2 billion. This change is primarily due to higher-than-expected tax revenues, estimated to be $2.6 billion higher for the current fiscal year and $5.3 billion in the next fiscal year.
However, DOB’s projections do not account for many of the federal cuts included in the reconciliation bill passed in July. Because New York is not legally required to backfill these losses, much of the impact does not appear as a state budget deficit in DOB’s calculations. These uncounted costs include the rise in the state’s uninsured population, reductions in federal support for safety-net hospitals, and higher uncompensated care costs for hospitals.
The actual gaps will depend on the decisions made in the Fiscal Year 27 budget: how much the State chooses to spend, what gets cut, and whether tax revenues continue to exceed projections.
3. Bruce Blakeman Considers Run
Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman is doing a tour of the state this week to gauge support for a potential candidacy for governor. If he decides to enter the race, he would go head-to-head with U.S. Rep. Elise Stefanik in a Republican primary next year. CSEA members in Nassau County have had a difficult relationship with Blakeman, who last year sought to forcibly replace the county workers’ health care plan in violation of their Collective Bargaining Agreement.
4. Take the Tier 6 Survey
In the upcoming legislative session, we’ll once again be fighting to make improvements to Tier 6, and we want to hear from you! If you’re a Tier 6 member, take the survey here. This survey will close at the end of next week, so if you haven’t yet taken it, now is the time to act!
5. CSEA Legislative Toolkit
We’re encouraging members to get the word out about our legislative successes. Click the icons below for informational documents that you can print, share, and post on social media to spread the news. You can also check out our summary of the 2025-2026 New York State Budget.
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