Kirsten Gillibrand doesn't think Stefanik staying is good for New York

And a state budget extender is due next week to keep state workers paid. Here's when.

Good afternoon — it’s Friday and Weed Appreciation Day.

Our State Budget Sale ends Tuesday. Click here for a free 30-day trial!

In today’s CapCon:

• Democrats in New York don’t want cuts from the federal government but view them as a political advantage for 2026.

• Here’s what’s on deck at the state Capitol next week, including the deadline for a state budget extender.

• A new bill would bolster the state’s preparation for the 2030 U.S. Census to try to avoid projections that New York will lose two seats in Congress.

• Eyes and Ears: Get caught up on what you might’ve missed from this week.

Names in today’s CapCon: Kathy Hochul, Kirsten Gillibrand, Elise Stefanik, Roxanne Persaud, Jeremy Cooney, Bill Weber

---

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (Jim Franco/Times Union)

🗣️ Gillibrand and Hochul are using federal funding uncertainty as a 2026 tactic

Democrats in New York have started to unite on a common message to voters that might sound strange: that they have no power in Washington, D.C.

New York received news this week that more than $360 million in federal funding that had been anticipated by the state’s health agencies will be cut.

Most of that would have gone to the Department of Health for things like monitoring disease outbreaks, preventing infections in nursing homes and more. Another $67 million cut from other agencies was intended for outpatient clinics, mobile crisis teams and related items.

But the state doesn’t have any power to stop those cuts, absent a lawsuit, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday at an event with U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand.

“We appreciate all her work, but there’s also seven other people in the state who need to hear about this and those are your Republican members of Congress,” Hochul said. “They’re in the majority. They have the power.”