[{"_1":2,"_88":-5,"_89":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,76],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},"mediaId",6463671,"mediaKeyId","5785171-db711015d3accc382380d914c69967d4","parentId",5785171,"title","Council hears pleas to protect housing, food aid; considers local bills on federal funding transparency and census office","audioSeconds",976,"startMs",1078000,"endMs",2054000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=5785171-db711015d3accc382380d914c69967d4&start=1078&end=2054","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5785171-db711015d3accc382380d914c69967d4/thumbnail_1078000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6463671/New-York/Council-hears-pleas-to-protect-housing-food-aid-considers-local-bills-on-federal-funding-transparency-and-census-office","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6463671-82989ba9bdbab60d25bccffd295ecf06/orig.mp4?Expires=1773553985&Signature=QTh9A4cyjzvcohLWNsUxCxpUHMspo2EqjX~e~2~VqMcD-cMd99zf~c~1TnW~YHCRlKCPEDN7XY7X~sT7087bB17lUclw7F11HhKpnarYV6VZi7wMqrlQMq23-jXhIa5ERRIdl9Wc~Gs5ypKz6GyRd9fLC133fuf-QBt8EpR5tjb9pbaGr6nP9GjuB5akDmqocsuuLcIH10HwQRpjexOrquvM9Nxb~I5Il3Lk6kHR-vG-1NPjdFCetyu7hbfzv2liLBAsq2imLNvYHKz6NKjUCqMS3-CSxOTpbvmNuVPFSin-R6UnqtdNA9bs3cNYrNsVmP6YpYMpBL0~7oEJ9ULZ7w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of New York, NY","date","2025-09-15T22:00:13Z","article","The New York City Council used an oversight hearing on July 26, 2025, to consider local responses to federal budget changes and to hear from dozens of advocates, service providers and residents about the human impacts of cuts to SNAP, Medicaid, housing programs and other federal supports.

What the committees took up

Council members previewed three local initiatives during the hearing: Intro 13-64 (a proposal introduced by Council Member Lincoln Ressler to require monthly reporting to the council on all federal funds flowing into city agencies), Intro 12-25 (a measure by Council Member Julie Menon to create a permanent Office of the Census to maximize city outreach ahead of 2030), and Intro 13-72 (a bill to cap rent contributions for city rental-assistance recipients at 30% of household income). Committee chairs said those local bills are intended to help the city respond more quickly and transparently if federal resources are reduced.

Why it matters: advocates warned the council that federal cuts could cascade into homelessness, food insecurity and reduced legal and immigrant services — and that those effects would land disproportionately on immigrants, noncitizen households, seniors and communities of color.

Major points from testimony

- Homelessness and housing stability: Supportive-housing providers and advocacy groups said discontinuation of federal streams such as the Emergency Housing Voucher (EHV) program and threats to COC and HOPWA would directly jeopardize permanent supportive housing and re-housing pipelines. Joelle Ballenschwan of the Supportive Housing Network of New York testified that the city relies on roughly $165 million in CoC funding and about $44.9 million annually in HOPWA; cuts to those programs would endanger tens of thousands of supportive units and the services that sustain them.

- Local housing tools: Witnesses urged the council to expand CityFEPs (the city’s rental assistance program for families) and fully fund a previously-approved CityFEPS expansion, to cap voucher rent contributions at 30% (Intro 13-72), and to move quickly to occupy vacant supportive units. Council members emphasized that shelter placements are far more expensive than housing and that prevention is cheaper than emergency shelter.

- Food security and SNAP: Food providers and anti-hunger groups described how SNAP changes — new work requirements, administrative verification, and state cost shifts — could push hundreds of thousands of city residents to food pantries. The Fiscal Policy Institute estimated 174,000 New Yorkers at immediate risk of SNAP loss from work-reporting changes and a larger group subject to the new requirements; the city was urged to prepare emergency food funds and expand outreach and casework.

- Immigrant services and legal help: Catholic Charities and other providers reported large contract cuts for immigrant legal services and family assistance programs; advocates emphasized the chilling effect of federal enforcement and described clients with urgent housing, food and legal needs.

- Census preparation: Several witnesses, including Assemblymember Landon Daze and Professor Jeff Weiss, urged passage of Intro 12-25 to create an ongoing city-level census office with year-round outreach to avoid an undercount in 2030 that could cost New York congressional seats and billions in formula funds. \"A full and accurate count in Census 2030 will also help ensure the fair allocation of federal resources to New York City,\" NALEO Educational Fund testified.

Local bills flagged at the hearing

- Intro 13-64 (Ressler): require monthly OMB reporting on all federal funding into New York City, including programmatic breakdowns, so council and providers can track changes in near real time.

- Intro 12-25 (Menon): create a permanent Office of the Census charged with outreach and preparation ahead of 2030; proponents pointed to New York City's strong 2020 outreach and warned a citizenship question or other federal changes could depress participation.

- Intro 13-72 (various sponsors): limit rent contributions for city rental-assistance recipients to 30% of household income; supporters said the city's recent rule increasing contribution thresholds to 40% would raise eviction risk for voucher holders.

Representative direct quotes

- \"The city must maintain full funding for CityFEPs and implement the expansion to ensure that more people can transition out of shelter and into permanent housing,\" said Christina Abattista of Urban Pathways.
- \"A full and accurate account of all New Yorkers is critical for the future strength of New York's democracy and its well-being and prosperity,\" Orlando Ovaiz of NALEO Educational Fund said in support of the census office bill.

Ending

Committee members thanked witnesses for testimony and committed to pursue follow-up work: asking OMB for detailed federal-funding exposure analysis, urging the mayor to fill vacant supportive housing units, and coordinating with Albany and the state’s congressional delegation to press for delays or waivers at the federal level. The council held the bills for further committee consideration; no votes were taken at the hearing.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","🔴 LIVE: \"The Impacts of Federal Budget Cuts,\" Govt. Operations, General Welfare, and Hospitals","oneSentenceSummary","At an oversight hearing on July 26, 2025, New York City Council members and dozens of advocates urged immediate local action to blunt the effects of federal cuts to SNAP, Medicaid and housing programs and discussed three local policy responses: required monthly reporting of federal funds to the council (Intro 13-64), creation of a permanent Office of the Census (Intro 12-25), and capping rent contributions for city voucher recipients at 30% (Intro 13-72).","taxTitle","New York City Council, New York City, New York County, New York","taxId",77593,"location","New York","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":77,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":78,"_41":79,"_43":80,"_45":81,"_47":82,"_49":83,"_51":84,"_53":85,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":86,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":87,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":72,"_73":74,"_75":74},6463677,"Council hearing warns federal cuts will strain city hospitals, push up uninsured rates",1945,841000,2786000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=5785171-db711015d3accc382380d914c69967d4&start=841&end=2786","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/5785171-db711015d3accc382380d914c69967d4/thumbnail_841000.jpg","/articles/6463677/New-York/Council-hearing-warns-federal-cuts-will-strain-city-hospitals-push-up-uninsured-rates","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6463677-045eb826becf2945710c0e5415ab13f5/orig.mp4?Expires=1773553985&Signature=g0A6yhCYrJb5pWrKBM0MGtn9rF8A80yno4wcxAE4ZnDPg8KZiY4RHHlnolCyYxQ37y8BpXJesDPF7VnehrwUfleXmoPzzI4sJA6YxGo6PtjhAOx6rDylsXmJLhSRtxxbb3FXK3m9Kdkb2h7qOOVXZoD5ONaWxXAtYZkVNlu4k8qUHecEy-I9JtQPgKz4Mf-lZxHiEgH41pThY9dnARTIaRZC~T9QwSTFyiZun5nrpqEL5YoMSjpAV~RFQ7rkepLUPFLD47Pu0sUl1XhL1XluwBeEZcZm-dhR-tnMFRlsZBtCpr2IhnjdMbNUdNZx8DQje3MJwRt0DbawfnkULdjERg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The New York City Council convened an oversight hearing on federal funding cuts on July 26, 2025, where council members and health-sector witnesses laid out extensive warnings about the immediate and longer-term effects of the reconciliation bill known in testimony as the \"1 Big Beautiful Bill Act\" and related federal policy changes.

Council Member Lincoln Ressler opened the hearing by saying the bill was \"a disastrous bill for the country and for our city,\" adding that the measure \"provides tax cuts for the rich and takes resources from the most vulnerable.\" He told the committees the council would press the city and state to plan for the consequences.

Why it matters: Witnesses described a chain reaction that could begin within months — large numbers of people losing coverage, reductions in reimbursements, and higher uncompensated-care costs that will hit safety-net hospitals hardest. Hospital leaders said those losses could force service reductions, layoffs and even closures in facilities that serve low-income neighborhoods.

Key testimony and evidence

- Marla Simpson of the Independent Budget Office told the committees the IBO is preparing a report series called Federal Changes, Local Impacts and said: \"Since the passage of the 1 Big Beautiful Bill Act in July, IBO has focused on how these changes will affect New Yorkers as they cascade through multiple funding streams.\" She noted timing: some state-level impacts show up in fiscal 2027, but individuals could feel changes as early as January 2026.

- Elizabeth Wynne of the Greater New York Hospital Association testified that the hospital sector faced an immediate revenue shock. \"We estimate an $8,000,000,000 direct revenue impact on our hospitals,\" Wynne said, and added that H+H's FY2025 operating budget was about $13.5 billion and that \"as a result of the changes in HR 1, 34,000 hospital jobs will be at risk.\"

- Witnesses and council members emphasized two provisions with prompt effect: the loss or phase-out of the managed care organization (MCO) tax contribution and changes to New York's Essential Plan eligibility. Wynne called the MCO tax sunsetting \"an immediate concern\" because it funded a roughly $1.6 billion Medicaid support mechanism and a 10% outpatient rate increase that helped safety-net hospitals.

Discussion highlights and concerns

- Coverage losses: Panelists repeated state estimates that nationwide and statewide coverage losses could be large: about 1.5 million New Yorkers statewide losing insurance and roughly half of that impact concentrated in the city in certain scenarios. IBO and Greater New York explained that last-week changes by the governor to revert eligibility rules for the Essential Plan could avert some losses but that the state needs federal approval for its mitigation approach.

- Hospital finances and jobs: Wynne and other industry witnesses described an $8 billion operating revenue risk and estimated 34,000 health-sector jobs at risk; that job loss would ripple into the broader economy, they said.

- Safety-net concentration: Witnesses repeatedly noted that hospitals with the highest Medicaid and uninsured shares would be the most vulnerable. H+H was singled out as particularly sensitive because 28% of its revenue came from city operating subsidies in 2025 and more than half of its adult patients are Medicaid or uninsured.

- Program-by-program ripple: SNAP, WIC, and other food supports were raised as near-term risks that would push more people toward emergency food programs already under strain; behavioral-health and maternal services were singled out among clinical services most likely to be cut if hospitals tighten budgets.

Council and witness proposals

Witnesses and council members urged a mix of federal advocacy and immediate local planning: press Washington for delays or waivers (including a multi‑year transition for the MCO tax), accelerate enrollment and retention assistance to keep people covered, expand primary care and community clinic capacity, and plan city budget contingencies to backfill critical programs if state and federal mitigation fall short.

Representative direct quotes

- \"This is a disastrous bill for the country and for our city,\" Council Member Lincoln Ressler.
- \"We estimate an $8,000,000,000 direct revenue impact on our hospitals,\" Elizabeth Wynne, Greater New York Hospital Association.
- \"Since the passage of the 1 Big Beautiful Bill Act in July, IBO has focused on how these changes will affect New Yorkers,\" Marla Simpson, Independent Budget Office.

Ending

Committee members said the hearing was the beginning of a longer process. They asked city budget staff and outside experts to provide further modeling and scenario planning and pressed for legislative and administrative actions the city could take to limit harm. The council signaled it will continue pressing the state and federal delegations while using the city's budget tools to blunt the worst outcomes.

(Reporting from an oversight hearing; no final votes were taken.)","New York City Council members and health-sector witnesses said the federal reconciliation bill (HR 1) and related policy changes could leave up to 1.5 million New Yorkers uninsured, cost hospitals billions in revenue and risk thousands of health care jobs, and urged the city to prepare contingency plans.","actionData","errors"]

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Council hears pleas to protect housing, food aid; considers local bills on federal funding transparency and census office

Council hearing warns federal cuts will strain city hospitals, push up uninsured rates