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New York Post
02-05-2025
- Business
- New York Post
New Yorkers get slammed yet again by a state budget that LITERALLY robs them blind
New Yorkers are getting robbed blind — because state politicians are doing deals with taxpayers' money in the dark. On Monday Gov. Kathy Hochul announced that she and Albany's top two legislative leaders had agreed on how much to tax New Yorkers and how much the state will spend this fiscal year, which started April 1. From the smattering of information available — days later, the details have still not been publicly released — the deal will necessitate additional tax hikes months from now that could trigger an economic death spiral for the state and its largest city. Here's the kicker: This is a back-room deal, worked out in secrecy by an all-Democrat troika: Hochul, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie. None of the other 211 members of the legislature was permitted to listen in, let alone participate. The press? Locked out, perched uncomfortably on the state Capitol's marble stairs. Without the benefit of open debate, New Yorkers are paying through the nose: Albany will spend a staggering $254 billion in the coming year. That's more than it costs to run Florida and Texas combined, even though New York has 33 million fewer people to serve. This is the way New York has managed its spending for decades. I witnessed it myself as lieutenant governor 30 years ago. Then as now, it prevented our lawmakers from doing the right thing. They're still getting sidelined today. Spending in the budget is 'reckless. It's out of control,' Republican State Sen. Tom O'Mara wrote last month — but his voice isn't heard. In fact, no Republican was even allowed in the room. At some point in the coming days, nine or more bills will be hurriedly printed and put on each lawmaker's desk, along with a 'message of necessity' from Hochul requiring it to be voted on within hours, even in the middle of the night. Unreal. Lawmakers, no more than party puppets, will vote on the bills with no debate. This is not representative government. It's not even constitutional: The New York state Constitution requires the Legislature to have three days to read a bill before voting on it. And yet that rule gets waived, year after year, with no justification. Americans fought a revolution against taxation without representation. New Yorkers should not put up with it in their own state Capitol. On her first day as governor, taking over after Andrew Cuomo was chased out of office amid scandal, Hochul promised 'a new era of transparency.' Now? 'We don't negotiate in public,' she sniffs. Why elect 213 legislators and pay them the highest salary of state lawmakers anywhere in America — a cool $142,000 a year — only to lock them out of the most important decisions, leaving them to wander the Capitol halls killing time? Monday night, Hochul put out a press release boasting that her budget deal cuts taxes — a half-truth at best: It also hikes payroll mobility taxes on large employers, and extends an income-tax surcharge that had been scheduled to sunset. An open budget process would allow New Yorkers to know the truth — in advance — instead of depending on politicians' weasel words after it's too late. This warped budgeting is so entrenched that we used to call it by a nickname: 'three men in a room.' That phrase may no longer apply, but the reality of it remains. Thirty years ago one of the 'three men,' Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno, wrote a spirited defense of the back-room process in his memoir, claiming it worked pretty well. Truth is, it doesn't work. New York is one of the worst-governed states in the nation. New Yorkers pay the most in taxes, according to the Tax Foundation, but it's number 50 — dead last — in terms of economic outlook, as calculated by the annual Rich States Poor States Economic Competitiveness Index. More people are fleeing New York than any other state, turning the Empire State into the Exit State. What's especially worrisome is that Hochul and her fellow deal-makers refuse to downsize the budget now to accommodate expected cuts in federal funding and possible downturns in tax revenue caused by financial market turmoil. 'Democrats keep warning about the thunderstorms while driving with the top down,' as Ed Ra, ranking Republican on the Assembly's Ways and Means Committee, put it. An open budgeting process would invite more caveats like Ra's, and more critics like O'Mara. It would force New York's leadership to grapple with reality-based objections. Instead, three top Democrats get to whistle in the dark. Count on the governor to come back in a month or two proposing tax hikes — another nail in our state's coffin. New Yorkers need to demand a real say in how they are governed, and their elected representatives must find the courage do the same. Put an end to rule by the three stooges. Betsy McCaughey served as lieutenant governor of New York from 1995 to 1998 and is co-founder of the Committee to Save Our City.
Forbes
23-04-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
Pete Hegseth Hates DEI. His Deputy Put Tens Of Millions Into It
Steve Feinberg has connections all over Washington, including to Democrats, having donated millions to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis) Embattled Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth assumed his role with a clear mission in mind: 'DEI is going to be ripped out root and branch,' he said on Fox News four days after taking office. His deputy secretary, billionaire investor Steve Feinberg, has a different perspective, having spent nearly $40 million on scholarship programs for Black students in recent years—making diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives the largest recipients of grants from his foundation. Feinberg's commitment to the cause began in 2020, the year George Floyd's murder sparked a national outcry. The biggest beneficiary appears to be Tuskegee University, which received a $5 million grant from Feinberg's foundation that year, one of the largest gifts ever for the historically Black school. A press release issued at the time said the money would go toward scholarships for needy students. The famously private Feinberg did not provide any quotes for the announcement, but his foundation issued a statement with no name attached to it. 'We're very pleased to honor our founder's philanthropic vision,' it said, 'with a grant that has real potential to advance racial equity in postsecondary education.' Money continued to pour in from Feinberg's foundation over the ensuing years, eventually reaching about $20 million. The investor also bankrolled a similar effort through the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, to which he gave another $5 million in 2020. That organization then provided $8,500 a year to about 60 students, who had to be Black or of African descent to qualify. Another organization that received big money from Feinberg: the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, a nonprofit connected to the all-Democrat group on Capitol Hill. The Black caucus foundation helps with the Stephen Feinberg Multi-Year Scholarship Program, which provides African-American and Black undergrads with $10,000 a year for up to four years. Feinberg has now contributed at least $13 million to the group. Asked about all of this—and how it jibed with Secretary Hegseth's comments—a spokesperson for Feinberg issued a carefully worded statement that tried to make it seem like the defense department leaders are on the same page about DEI matters, without actually saying that explicitly. 'Deputy Secretary Feinberg is fully aligned with Secretary Hegseth's priorities,' the spokesperson, Eric Pahon, said in a statement. 'His many charitable donations have gone to organizations that prioritize merit and performance to build a stronger America, and today he is working with Secretary Hegseth to advance those same values for a stronger military.' Feinberg grew up in a modest home in Spring Valley, New York, then worked on Wall Street, where he eventually opened his own firm, Cerberus Capital Management. It invested in Chrysler, Fila and debt tied to Donald Trump's tower in Chicago, ultimately growing to manage about $70 billion in assets. Overseeing so much money for others provided Feinberg with plenty of his own—an estimated $5 billion. At the end of 2015, he dumped $130 million into a private foundation. He initially gave to the sorts of causes that lots of billionaires support—a hospital near his home and the university he attended, Princeton, where Feinberg did R.O.T.C., played tennis and left an impression on classmates. 'When he walked across campus, you know, he was in his own world,' says someone who knew him back then. 'He was kind of a force unto himself.' In 2017, Feinberg sprinkled in some contributions that hinted at his interest in politics and national defense. He gave $400,000 to Turning Point USA, the conservative student group led by Trumpworld insider Charlie Kirk. Feinberg handed over another $150,000 to the National Cryptologic Museum, which houses all sorts of code-making-and-breaking artifacts in a building next to the National Security Agency's headquarters. Another $176,000 went to the Institute for State Effectiveness, a nonprofit focused on nation-building cofounded by Afghanistan's former president, Ashraf Ghani. The following year, in 2018, Feinberg became chair of Trump's Intelligence Advisory Board. He devoted not just time to national-security issues but also money—his foundation dispersed $5 million to In-Q-Tel, a venture-capital nonprofit created by the Central Intelligence Agency that has that has backed companies including Palantir, Databricks and Anduril. Smaller donations went to Princeton, New York Presbyterian hospital, Turning Point USA and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. Feinberg continued focusing on defense in 2019, this time contributing $5 million to a subsidiary of the multibillion-dollar nonprofit Mitre, which operates federally funded research and development facilities. The subsidiary focused on enhancing private-sector collaboration in many of the same areas in which Feinberg has invested—telecommunications, cybersecurity, unmanned aviation. A tax return for his foundation listed a $5 million 'returned grant' as income in 2019—it's unclear if In-Q-Tel, the Mitre subsidiary or someone other organization sent its money back. The world changed in 2020, and Feinberg's philanthropic strategy adapted with it. As Covid-19 swept the globe, Feinberg quadrupled his donations to New York Presbyterian hospital from $250,000 to $1 million. Two months after the pandemic landed, on May 25, 2020, a white police officer kneeled on the neck of George Floyd. Like many corporate leaders, Feinberg decided to do something. For help, he turned to Greg Nixon, a Black executive at Cerberus with a personal story that underscored the promise of historically Black universities. After graduating from Tuskegee, Nixon joined the U.S. Air Force, became an intellectual property attorney inside the government and moved into the private sector, where he worked for McKinsey, Booz Allen Hamilton and DynCorp. He advised Tracker Capital, the family office that Feinberg used to make some of his defense-related deals and ultimately became the head of strategic investments at Cerberus. With Nixon at his side, Feinberg funneled tens of millions of dollars to Tuskegee University, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation. Feinberg's Wall Street firm, meanwhile, launched internal committees to support women and promote inclusion. 'Cerberus is fully committed to DEI,' Nixon explained on a panel hosted by one of the firm's legal partners. A few years later, as Feinberg awaited confirmation to become deputy secretary of defense, President Trump issued an order making it clear that his priorities were the opposite. On his first day in office, the president demanded the removal of all diversity, equity and inclusion considerations in federal employment. Hegseth vowed to root out DEI efforts from the military. And, shortly after the new administration arrived in town, the Air Force reportedly briefly removed training material with videos of Tuskegee airmen, Black World War II heroes. Meanwhile, Feinberg lined up a strategy to divest from his multibillion-dollar business empire and move into public office. Rather than sell his assets, he planned to give them to family and charity. On March 17, the day Feinberg became deputy secretary of defense, Tuskegee University announced that his foundation donated $6.2 million, more than ever before.
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Prospect Park officials demand councilman resign after gambling arrest linked to mob
PROSPECT PARK — Municipal leaders are calling on the Borough Council president to immediately resign after he was charged last week for his role in mob-tied gambling ring. Anand Shah, 42, in his third term on the all-Democrat council, was arrested and charged with money laundering, racketeering and a slew of gambling-related offenses for his alleged part in a complex operation involving more than three dozen co-conspirators, including members of the Lucchese crime family, authorities said. Meanwhile, he is up for reelection. Municipal government: Clifton poised to hire temporary city manager Mayor Mohamed Khairullah, once a close personal confidant, released a statement Monday asking that Shah reconsider his bid for another term and step down. The statement was made on behalf of multiple 'elected officials,' the mayor said, although it did not list them by name. 'This moment calls for leadership that prioritizes the needs of the people, above all else,' Khairullah wrote on Facebook. 'Stepping down is not an act of abandonment — it's a recognition that the continued focus must remain on serving Prospect Park without disruption. We believe this decision is in the best interests of our community and upholds the values that we're entrusted to represent.' Shah, a native of Clifton and a Subway franchisee, did not return a call placed to his cell phone. Results of a two-year investigation were announced Friday by state Attorney General Matthew Platkin, who said his office was 'bringing every resource available to crack down on violent criminals' — including those in organized crime. Authorities allege that Shah managed an online sportsbook and poker games for the criminal enterprise, whose proceeds exceeded $3 million. Upper management of the gambling ring used functioning businesses and shell corporations to conceal their illicit gains, investigators said. Shah, the chairman of the council committee on economic development and finance, is unopposed in the primary election on June 10. An elections official said Tuesday that it was too late for his name to be removed from the ballot. Philip DeVencentis is a local reporter for For unlimited access to the most important news in your community, please subscribe or activate your digital account today. Email: devencentis@ This article originally appeared on Prospect Park NJ councilman asked to resign after gambling arrest
Boston Globe
25-02-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Mass. congressional delegation seeks answers from Trump administration on protections for unaccompanied migrant children
Advertisement 'The abrupt and unconscionable decision to issue a stop-work order jeopardized the welfare of scores of vulnerable minors nationwide, stripping them of essential legal representation and support at a time when they need it most,' the all-Democrat delegation wrote to Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr. For decades, organizations across the US have provided 'indispensable' legal support, social services, and foster care to these children, the representatives wrote. 'The recent stop-work order egregiously undermined this longstanding commitment to child welfare and due process.' Spokespeople for the US Department of the Interior and the Department of Health and Human Services declined to comment. Massachusetts representatives expressed concern about what led to the stop-work order, and noted in the letter that the contract for the unaccompanied child legal services program is under an 'option year,' which ends in late March. They urged the federal government to renew the contract and maintain the funding for these programs. The Trump administration has also signaled that it could target unaccompanied children through other means. On Feb. 23, Reuters reported that the administration is instructing immigration officials to locate hundreds of thousands of unaccompanied minor children as part of the administration's mass deportation efforts, that report, along with the stop work order signaled a readiness from the Trump administration to slash programs that migrant children depend on. Advertisement 'They're only going to escalate the dragnet of picking up children and babies to deport them,' Markey said in an interview. 'What legal rights will they [the children] have, given the fact that in reality, they cannot defend themselves?' 'We're sending the letter because we can't trust the Trump administration to do the right thing,' he added. Across the country, the news of the stop-work order was met with scrutiny from advocates who have provided unaccompanied children with legal aid for years, under bipartisan support. Kids in Need of Defense, a group that provides pro bono legal backing to unaccompanied children, including out of its Boston field office, said that recent memos and directives from the Trump administration put children at risk of ending up in dangerous situations. 'Full access to legal counsel is also essential to protect children from trafficking and exploitation and comply with enforcement procedures,' the group's president, Wendy Young, said in a statement on Sunday. In their letter, Massachusetts representatives asked about the decision-making process that led to the stop-work order and the administration's position on the renewal of the unaccompanied children legal services program contract. The delegation asked the Trump administration to respond by March 11. 'How can we expect a 4-year-old , who doesn't speak English, to advocate for themselves in front of a judge?' Markey said. 'Too often, the children arrive on our shores after taking perilous journeys, and facing extreme poverty and exploitation. So the minimum they should be entitled to is legal representation.' Advertisement Giulia McDonnell Nieto del Rio can be reached at
