Senator Kristen Gonzalez Secures Affordability Solutions in 2025-26 State Budget

ALBANY, NY – New York State Senator Kristen Gonzalez (D59–Queens, Manhattan, Brooklyn) voted to secure several major wins for working-class New Yorkers in the 2025-2026 New York State Budget, including an enhanced tax credit, a five-year Housing Access Voucher Program (HAVP) pilot program, full funding for the 2025-2029 MTA Capital Plan, increased Foundation Aid for public schools, increased funding for safety net hospitals, and a historic step toward universal childcare.

“As the cost of living continues to rise, and our communities look towards their representatives to combat spending cuts and executive orders from a fascist federal administration, I’m committed to delivering real initiatives for affordability for working-class and immigrant New Yorkers,” said Senator Kristen Gonzalez. “This budget consists of investments in transit, housing, schools, and in our democracy, and I look forward to fighting for even more.”

In a significant win for families, the budget expands the Working Families Tax Credit, raising the benefit to $1,000 per child under four and expanding eligibility for low-income households. These funds will help parents with rising costs on essentials like rent, food, and childcare.

The budget also includes $50 million for the Housing Access Voucher Program, a tenant-based rental assistance initiative that provides urgently needed housing stability for low-income New Yorkers, and the full $68 billion for the MTA Capital Plan. As a legislator representing some of the most densely populated and diverse areas of the state, Senator Gonzalez has emphasized the importance of bold housing investments to fight displacement, and for crucial transportation modernization projects like CBTC upgrades and repairs on the Queens-Midtown Tunnel. 

Recognizing the vital role of public education, the budget includes Foundation Aid for New York City public schools, and increased funding for CUNY and SUNY, including Baruch College, which serves many first-generation college students in her district. As federal cuts from the Trump administration threaten higher education and public healthcare, Gonzalez also proudly supported $180 million for distressed and safety-net hospitals like Bellevue that serve vulnerable communities.