We're joined by Patrick Orecki, director of state studies with the Citizens Budget Commission, to unpack the calls from good government groups for more transparency in the state budget process for New Yorkers.

Andrew Rein, president of the fiscally hawkish Citizens Budget Commission, said Trump’s tariffs could affect everything from the city government’s capital construction budget to its public pension funds, which are dependent on the stock market.

“We are the number one taxers and the number two spenders, only behind oil-rich Alaska, we have got to figure out how to live within our means and serve New Yorkers — we can do it,” Andrew Rein, president of the fiscally conservative Citizens Budget Commission, said.

“The city is in a tough spot,” said Sean Campion, director of housing and economic development studies at the watchdog Citizens Budget Commission. “For the most part, people aren’t going to be able to pay the full rent without [the assistance].”

"The crisis is over, but the continued cost is still there," said Ana Champney of the nonprofit watchdog group Citizens Budget Commission. "The city needs to figure out how to manage it more cost-effectively at this point."

Ana Champeny, vice president for research at the Citizens Budget Commission, said the council is likely correct that the city has more money than the mayor estimated, but questioned the choice to immediately spend it.

Patrick Orecki, director of state studies at the Citizens Budget Commission (CBC), agrees, but urged the state to take some action now during budget talks.

Hochul has proposed a $252 billion budget, which would increase operational spending by 11%, according to the Citizens Budget Commission.

Based on the budget proposals from the governor, Senate and Assembly, the watchdog group Citizens Budget Commission has some concerns.

The excellent watchdogs at the Citizens Budget Commission, who have kept a sharp eye on the finances of the state and city since 1932, say quite correctly that the tables should be published by the governor’s Division of the Budget before the voting. What a good idea! The CBC has again this year pleaded for the tables to be released upfront.

Andrew Rein, executive director of the Citizens Budget Commission, said that the state should have already been preparing for cuts to federal programs like Medicaid and social services like SNAP and even the Metropolitan Transportation Authority. “It is all over the place that there are vulnerabilities,” he said.

At last month’s debate, moderator Andrew Rein, president of the Citizens Budget Commission, chided Levine for a website that focuses on affordability, public safety and health care, among other issues that have little to do with the actual responsibilities of the job.