Good Morning, New York! Hochul backs down from a plan to ban striking correctional officers from working for the state, Zohran Mamdani becomes the first candidate to max out fundraising for NYC mayor, and the MTA brought in over $100 million from the first two months of congestion pricing. This is your Tammany Times AM Briefing for Tuesday, March 25th, 2025.

WHERE’S KATHY: In Albany, doing a radio interview with SiriusXM’s ‘Mornings With Zerlina.’

WHERE’s ERIC: No public schedule yet.

TIPS? Email me: [email protected]

Front Pages

Hall Monitors

— NYC's congestion pricing is off to a lucrative start, raking in over $100 million in its first two months. While the MTA is celebrating this new revenue stream dedicated to transit improvements, Donald Trump is trying to shut it down, resulting in a pending federal lawsuit. The MTA says travel times have already decreased since the program launched, but sentiment towards the program is still generally negative with large portions of the state. (Gothamist)

— Mahmoud Khalil is now facing new federal allegations. While he was initially detained for allegedly leading pro-Palestinian protests (which his supporters say is a violation of free speech), the DOJ is adding charges that he failed to report certain organizational memberships on his residency application. (NBC 4NY)

— Nearly 8,000 NYC households could be at risk of losing rental assistance as a federal emergency housing voucher program is set to end years ahead of schedule due to the program running out of funds. While tenants worry about covering rent, landlord groups are concerned about potential lost revenue if voucher payments stop. The city is exploring options like its CityFHEPS program, while state lawmakers consider the Housing Access Voucher Program to mitigate the loss. (Gothamist)

Capitol Gains

— Gov. Hochul is backing down from her initial plan to ban striking correction officers from all law enforcement jobs in New York. While the striking officers were initially barred from working for any state or county agency, the governor's office has reportedly reversed course. Now, these former officers will be able to seek re-certification as peace officers, potentially opening doors to jobs at county jails amid staffing shortages. (Times Union)

— Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman had a tense standoff with Democratic legislators over funding for their districts, telling them to "sit down, this is my show" when they approached the podium. Hours later, Dems abstained from voting on his $428 million infrastructure plan, effectively killing it. The fight is over CRPs, funding allocated to specific districts which Blakeman has not approved in this budget for Democratic districts while sending over 30 to ones controlled by the GOP. (Newsday)

— Federal funding cuts may be looming, but Gov. Hochul is standing firm on her $252 billion state budget. While some Dems are urging Hochul to withhold federal tax payments in protest, she's warning about potential impacts on healthcare and education. These disagreements could make it hard to get a spending package through the legislature. (State of Politics)

Trail Mix

— Zohran Mamdani says he's the first NYC mayoral candidate to hit the public financing cap, projecting over $8 million with matching funds. Now, instead of chasing dollars, the assemblymember plans to mobilize a massive volunteer operation, aiming for 1 million door knocks. (Gothamist)

— According to a new poll, Andrew Cuomo's got a firm grip on the 2025 NYC mayoral race, with a significant lead over other Democratic hopefuls. Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani is gaining traction, though, showing notable increases in both favorability and vote share. Perhaps unsurprisingly, current Mayor Eric Adams is struggling, with the vast majority of voters unlikely to support him, even if he switches parties. (Empire Report)

— Dan Stec just got a major boost in the race to replace Elise Stefanik. The New York Conservative Party is backing the state senator for the NY-21 congressional seat, hoping the GOP will follow suit. If not, the party is also happy to support Assemblyman Chris Tague or former candidate Liz Joy. (Times Union)