New York Gov. Kathy Hochul said she is in talks with New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani's team about implementing his $700 million campaign pledge to make city buses fare-free.
"We have a lot of alignment on the overall, overarching objective," Hochul told Politico in an interview published Friday. "When it comes to individual proposals, whether it's child care — we've had conversations about what a rollout of that could look like."
"Same thing with buses. What's the overall objective here?" she said.
"Is it to make it more affordable for people that are struggling? That's something I understand.
"We're having conversations with his team, I will say that."
According to the New York Post, Hochul's current position is a reversal from earlier this month, when she argued she had already invested huge amounts of money in Metropolitan Transportation Authority projects.
"We're spending a lot of money, so I cannot set forth a plan right now that takes money out of a system that relies on the fares of the buses and the subways," she reportedly said at the SOMOS political retreat in Puerto Rico on Nov. 8.
"But can we find a path to make it more affordable for people who need help? Of course we can," Hochul added.
Hochul, a Democrat who is up for reelection next year, previously opposed Mamdani's proposals to raise the corporate tax rate to 11.5% and increase income taxes on those earning more than $1 million per year.
In her interview with Politico, however, Hochul was evasive when asked if she anticipated raising taxes to pay for Mamdani's bus proposal.
"Well, certainly statewide, to have all free buses, that'd be impossible," she said. "Let's just figure out how we can take bites at the problem and start solving that."
The Post reported that Hochul was in the early stages of discussions about increasing revenue to help fund Mamdani's campaign promises by raising the corporate tax rate.
She also clarified that when creating policy, she "can't do anything just for the city."
"So, a city wants to do something, they want to do pilots, they want to do certain things, we can have the conversations with them, but policies overall happen statewide," she told Politico.
During his stint in the state Assembly, Mamdani was a fierce critic of Hochul, calling her "disgusting" and saying she "appeases racists."
But after Mamdani's June primary victory, the two reportedly met at New York City's Pride March to discuss "the affordability crisis and areas of common ground on lowering cost."
They then agreed to move past their previous disagreements to work in the best interests of the city, Politico reported at the time.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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