EP 05: Empire State Political Pulse with Jim Brennan
Latest Podcast: The Trump Challenge in NY – A Talk with State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli
Category: New York State
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 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
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
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?
Congress Congress 2024 Congressional Elections Featured New York City NYC Economy NYC Transit NYC Transportation NYS Transportation & Transit The Mass Transit Crisis Transportation Transportation Policy
CONGESTION PRICING DRIVES INTO THE FALL ELECTION
Governor Hochul’s last-second announcement on June 5th, 2024, to pause New York’s Congestion Pricing Plan caused understandable dismay and evenContinue Reading
Affordable Housing Budgets Housing Housing Budgets New York City & New York State Voting New York State Podcasts State Budget
EP03: Empire State Political Pulse with Jim Brennan Podcast
In this episode, Jim chats with his guests about significant features of the NYS budget (the NYS House and Senate recently passed separate versions, but the full legislature has yet to pass a final version) and also dives more deeply into the affordable housing crisis.
Congressional Elections New York City New York City & New York State Voting New York State NYC Voting
Congressional Redistricting is Getting a Restart in New York- Democrats Can Avoid a Second Debacle and Win on the Existing Lines
On December 12, 2023, the New York State Court of Appeals, New York’s highest court, ruled that the State’s CongressionalContinue Reading
EP01: Empire State Political Pulse with Jim Brennan Podcast
Jim interviews three knowledgeable guests about the current migrant crisis in NYC in this episode of Jim’s new podcast series.
Budgets City Budget Migrant Crisis New York City New York State NYC Economy Population Public Policy State Budget
The Mayor, the Migrants, and Reeling Deficits: Destroying New York, Really?
Mayor Eric Adams’ doomsday outcry about the impact of the increasing numbers of migrants coming to New York City, thatContinue Reading
NYC Adds Nearly a Million Jobs As It Reaches a Total Recovery from One of the Worst Pandemic Drops in the Nation
Let me start with the good news: New York City has regained nearly one million jobs, 29.9% above its lowestContinue Reading
Congress 2024 Congressional Elections Congressional Maps New York City & New York State Voting New York State Redistricting US Politics Voting Voting By Mail
AS THE 2024 ELECTION APPROACHES, NEW YORK’S CONGRESSIONAL LINES AND ITS VOTE-BY-MAIL PROCESS MAY ONCE AGAIN BE IN PLAY
The Congressional elections in New York have become pivotal to both political parties for control of the House of RepresentativesContinue Reading
Budgets Featured New York City New York State NYC Transit NYC Transportation NYS Transportation & Transit Public Policy State Budget The Mass Transit Crisis Transportation Transportation Policy
The MTA’s “Deficits” Aren’t Just a NYC Problem: Taxes Bail Out the Commuter Lines Heavily Too
The New York State budget was submitted to the Legislature by Governor Kathy Hochul for the fiscal year beginning AprilContinue Reading
Congressional Elections Congressional Maps New York City & New York State Voting New York State Redistricting Voting
New York’s Congressional Redistricting Could Be Tipping Point in Midterm Battle for Control of House
The Census Bureau released its population counts for the nation and the states on April 26, including changes for theContinue Reading
Budgets City Budget Featured New York City New York State NYC Transit NYC Transportation NYS Transportation & Transit State Budget The Mass Transit Crisis Transportation Policy
The State Must Step in Now to Avoid a Mass Transit Apocalypse
Hope that Congress can enact a post-election stimulus package to aid the economy amid another explosion of coronavirus cases has narrowed.Continue Reading
Congress Returns to Washington as New York’s Future Hangs in the Balance
Congress returned to Washington D.C this past week and New Yorkers have a big stake in the outcome of anyContinue Reading
The Pandemic Has Forced Hundreds of Thousands Out of the City’s Labor Force. They Are Not Even Counted in the City’s Official 18% Unemployment Rate.
Labor statistics can be very confusing, especially for the general public. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released its JuneContinue Reading
State Budget Crisis Part Two: UPDATE-NYC WANTS TO BORROW LONG-TERM TOO
I wrote on my blog on May 28th https://jimbrennanscommentaries.com/2020/05/28/state-budget-crisis-part-2-budget-cuts-loom-as-dc-aid-stalls-but-nys-can-fill-gap-without-tax-increases/ advocating New York State address its looming budget deficit by borrowingContinue Reading
New Claims in New York for Special Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Nearly Doubled Between May 9 and May 23rd; NY Unemployment May Reach 25%.
The United States Department of Labor May 28 Unemployment Claims report showed that 427,000 New Yorkers filed claims for PandemicContinue Reading
State Budget Crisis Part 2: Budget Cuts Loom As DC Aid Stalls, But NYS Can Fill Gap Without Tax Increases
Despite pleas from New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and state and local government leaders across the nation for major newContinue Reading