A new chapter in New York politics opens Monday, Jan. 20, when President-elect Donald Trump returns to office.
This chapter features two capitals in clashing colors. Albany is as blue as they come, run by Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul and large Democratic majorities in both legislative chambers. Washington is now bathed in red, with Trump in the White House and Republicans controlling both the House and the Senate.
The interplay between those two forces — where they clash and where they find common ground — and how the outcomes affect New Yorkers is an important political thread I expect to follow in my reporting this year. It promises to be a big shift after four years with Democrats fully or partly in control in D.C., and a throwback of sorts to the start of Trump’s first term in 2017.
I cover government and politics for the Journal News/lohud and other Gannett news sites in New York as a member of Gannett’s state team of reporters. That means tracking news at various levels of government, from budgets and bills in Albany to Hudson Valley congressional races to the latest actions in Washington — though always with a focus on New York and the impact on our readers.
How those government levels interact is part of that coverage. Here are a few collisions that happened before or could arise this time.
New York, then led by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, clashed with a GOP-run D.C. early in the last Trump administration over its attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which would have slashed New York’s Medicaid funding. Those attempts ultimately failed, though just barely. Cuomo also protested in vain against the $10,000 limit on state and local tax deductions that Republicans set with their 2017 tax cuts — calling it “an arrow aimed at New York’s economic heart.“
This time around, the SALT cap is up for reconsideration in 2025. Both Republicans and Democrats from New York, New Jersey and other high-tax states want to raise or eliminate it. Trump went along by promising to “get back SALT” on the campaign trail, but some Republicans oppose lifting the cap and it’s unclear how that provision will fare in a broader tax bill.
At the same time, Medicaid funding could again prove to be a point of friction between New York and Washington. So could Trump’s plans for mass deportation of undocumented immigrants, which have mobilized support groups in their defense in New York and renewed calls for a statewide sanctuary law. Another clash could come over the new $9 congestion toll on Manhattan drivers, which Trump vowed to undo.
Hochul, speaking at a somber press conference with Attorney General Letitia James on the day after Trump’s victory, vowed to fight any federal actions adverse to New York interests, while pledging to work with Trump on shared goals. Yet Democratic leaders also had to face a sobering political shift in New York: an electorate more favorable to Trump than ever before, even though he still lost the state overall by double digits.
A key topic in Albany coverage this year will be efforts by Hochul and lawmakers to tame New York’s high living costs, singled out by voters in polls as their highest priority. Hochul has promised an “affordability agenda,” starting with a splashy proposal to send New Yorkers “inflation refund” checks for $300 per person and $500 per couple — a $3 billion plan that critics slammed as a gimmick.
Vote shifts:Final NY vote counts for Harris-Trump race show red shift since 2020 race. See the numbers
New York has no state and federal elections in 2025. But Hochul’s bid for re-election next year will be another ripe storyline as that race begins to take shape. And it comes with a local face in the mix for Hudson Valley readers: Rep. Mike Lawler, the Rockland County Republican who just started his second House term, is one of two potential challengers openly weighing a 2026 run for governor.
Chris McKenna covers government and politics for The Journal News and USA Today Network. Reach him at cmckenna@gannett.com.
