2026 Elections: The Nightmare Ahead
Make no mistake. The integrity of our elections and our right to vote are dangerously threatened as the 2026 midtermContinue Reading
Author: jimbrennancommentaries
Jim Brennan was a member of the New York State Assembly for 32 years and retired at the end of 2016. He chaired four committees, including the Assembly Committee on Corporations, Authorities, and Commissions for six years, the Committee on Cities for five years, and the Committee on Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities for six years. There are 96 Brennan laws on the books of the State of New York and Jim won three national awards for his legislative work during his career.
The Legislature Puts Its Own Stamp on the NYS Budget; Tax Hikes, Tax Breaks
The New York State Assembly and Senate moved boldly past the Executive Budget Plan submitted by Governor Hochul to theContinue Reading
The Good News: NY State Is So Flush with Cash, It Can Fund Universal Child Care
Mayor Mamdani campaigned on raising taxes on the wealthy and big business to fund universal child care, and polls ofContinue Reading
Universal Child Care in NYC One Step Closer to Reality As It Gets Boost from NY State
NY State Governor Kathy Hochul and NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani held a press conference on Thursday, January 8, 2026, whereContinue Reading
The Supreme Court Will Decide the Texas Gerrymandering Case Within Days, But Either Way, the Republican Scheme is Sputtering
This week, the United States Supreme Court is sure to decide the appeal by the State of Texas of aContinue Reading
EP 05: Empire State Political Pulse with Jim Brennan
Latest Podcast: The Trump Challenge in NY – A Talk with State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli
Budgets Congress Social Security Social Security Tax Policy The President The White House US Politics
Trump and Republican Allies Speed Up Social Security’s Insolvency Date
The fracture point – the point at which Social Security will become insolvent – for the Social Security and MedicareContinue Reading
Republicans’ Long Held Dream of Slashing Health Insurance for Millions About to Come True
Unfortunately, the decades long Republican party effort to strip millions of Americans from a basic right to health insurance seems Continue Reading
Budgets Congress Healthcare Policy Medicaid New York State NYS Health Care Public Policy State Budget The President The White House US Politics
House Bill Guts $ Billions in Funding for New York’s Health Care System in Just a Few Months
National attention on “The Big Beautiful Bill” passed by the House of Representatives on May 22, 2025 focused on taxContinue Reading
Budgets Healthcare Policy Housing Budgets Public Policy Tax Policy The President The White House US Economy/Jobs US Politics
Crazytown 2025: Republicans Create Fiscal Chaos, Destructive Budget Proposal; What’s Going On?
The Republicans who control the House and Senate have begun their process to pass a giant Budget Reconciliation package ofContinue Reading
Budgets Congress Healthcare Policy Medicaid New York State NYS Health Care The President The White House US Politics
Medicaid On The Chopping Block; Millions of NYers Are Vulnerable But We Can Fight Back
With nearly half the state’s population dependent on Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act for their health coverage, and FederalContinue Reading
AND NOW FOR THE CONGRESSIONAL REPUBLICANS
After several weeks of the Trump-Musk onslaught against the American government, the House and Senate Republicans are stepping up toContinue Reading
Unauthorized Immigrants in the U.S. : How Many are There and What’s Their Status Now That Trump Has Arrived?
In the course of a few days, Donald Trump has begun laying the groundwork to deport millions of unauthorized/undocumented immigrantsContinue Reading
THE HANDY REFERENCE GUIDE TO TRUMP LIES 2.0
During the Trump second term, Americans can expect another onslaught of lies, far more than any fact checker could handle.Continue Reading
A Cruise, Post-election Blues and Missing Democrats
My wife and I left for a river cruise in France the afternoon after the Presidential election; we already hadContinue Reading
OF POLLS, VOTES AND WHEN WE WILL KNOW RESULTS; VOTES; 2020 REDUX
I offer a poignant moment and a good poll. The moment is President Biden voting early in Delaware, standing onlineContinue Reading
The Trump-Vance “Migrants Eating Cats” Lie; Preposterous, Racist, and Now a Menace to Immigrants: But, Guess Who Believes It ? And So On …
Vice President Kamala Harris succeeded in baiting the former President during the debate, provoking the cuckoo to pop out ofContinue Reading
UPDATE ON PROTECTING THE NY CONVICTION AND SENTENCING TRUMP: JUDGE MERCHAN DELAYS DECISIONS UNTIL AFTER THE ELECTION
My blog on the brilliant memo by New York D.A. Alvin Bragg to refute Trump’s effort to set aside hisContinue Reading
Bragg’s Summer Home Run to Protect Conviction Will be Decided by Judge Two Days Before Scheduled Sentencing: Tracking the New York Case
A ruling by Judge Juan Merchan on Donald Trump’s motion to set aside his New York hush-money conviction is expectedContinue Reading
New York City New York State NYC Transit NYC Transportation NYS Transportation & Transit Podcasts Public Policy The Mass Transit Crisis Transportation Transportation Policy
EP 04: Empire State Political Pulse with Jim Brennan – Congestion Pricing
Governor Hochul recently delayed implementation of congestion pricing, right before it was supposed to be implemented. Why? What will happen now? Will congestion pricing ever happen? How will this impact traffic, transit improvements and the MTA budget?