Good Morning, New York! Hochul says New York could cooperate with ICE, Trump’s funding freeze could impact NY, and rumors swirl that Adams could resign. This is your Tammany Times AM Briefing for Wednesday, January 29th, 2025.

WHERE’S KATHY: In Syracuse to highlight her affordability agenda, then Albany and New York.

WHERE’s ERIC: Meeting with senior officials, but otherwise no public schedule.

TIPS? Email me: [email protected]

Front Pages

Hall Monitors

— Despite Eric Adams’ illness, he still made time to meet with two key union leaders who were backers of his bid in 2021. Specifically, he met with Richard Maroko of the Hotel and Gaming Trades Council and Manny Pastreich of 32BJ, the building service workers union. (NY Daily News)

— ICE held a joint operation yesterday in NYC with the ATF, DEA, and DHS where they arrested 20 illegal migrants, including 12 of whom had prior criminal records. They reportedly plan to arrest over 500 this week across the entire operation. New DHS secretary Kristi Noem made an appearance, signaling strong support for these actions from the administration. (CBS News)

— David Carr claims he has been elected Minority Leader of the City Council, and half of the caucus agrees with him. However the other half are now protesting the results and asking Speaker Adams to reject them. CM’s Joann Ariola, Vickie Paladino, and Kristy Marmorato all say the meeting was invalid, scheduled on too short notice, and did not have a quorum of members. (amNY)

Capitol Gains

— Kathy Hochul says New York could cooperate with federal immigration officials on some cases, particularly those with more serious charges. She released a list of four circumstances, which include state crimes, immigration crimes, and multi-national crimes. (Gothamist)

— Trump’s federal funding freeze could have huge impacts on New York, and AG Letitia James announced that she will sue the Trump administration over the directive. While the Trump admin has since clarified that it will not take away many benefits, it would likely affect infrastructure funding across the state. Of particular concern are the $12B Gateway Tunnel and billions for the MTA and NYC government. (The City)

— State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa has received a $155,000 pay raise over the last 6 months, and will now earn $489,000 annually. The state explains the raise is to bring her pay in line with top superintendents, arguing that lower pay undermined her position as head of the system. (Times Union)

— Interim DEC Commissioner Sean Mahar said Hochul’s decision not to fully roll out the cap and invest program in her budget is not a delay on the program, and that it is continuing to move and is in active development. However, critics are still upset with the new timeline and believe it is critical we get a program in place as soon as possible. (State of Politics)

Trail Mix

— Rumors are swirling that Eric Adams may be considering resignation. Former Charter Commissioner and Councilman Sal Albanese posted that a ‘good source’ of his said that Adams is cutting a deal with the Feds and will resign soon, but even he was not confident in this source. In all likelihood, Adams is just sick and will be back at work soon. (X/SalAlbaneseNYC)

— Many mayoral candidates are backing down from their 2020-era pledges to ‘Defund the Police.’ As crime has continued to rise in the city, many of these same people are now backing pro-police tough on crime policies, hoping to convince voters they have changed their minds. (Gothamist)

— Outgoing CM Joe Borelli has criticized term limits, saying it is wrong to not allow voters the choice to continue being represented by someone they support. Borelli is term-limited himself, and will be leaving to open the New York office of Chartwell Strategy Group, a DC-based lobbying shop. (NY1)