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Adams announces major NYC budget cuts
Mayor Eric Adams’ administration announced on Thursday that the city is enacting around $4 billion in budget cuts over the next year and a half that will cancel the hiring of new police officers, slash the education budget by $1 billion and close libraries on Sundays.
NEW YORK - New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced major cuts to the city's budget for the next year and a half, saying that cuts across all agencies were necessary with the city having spent $1.45 billion on the migrant crisis this year
This means the NYPD, DOE, sanitation department and more will need to"dig into their own budget" to compensate for the $4 bill in cuts.
Here's a breakdown of what we know about the mayor's plan.
Adams defends cuts
Adams says the cuts are due to the migrant crisis and insists that without additional federal aid, these cuts will only continue to grow.
"For months, we have warned New Yorkers about the challenging fiscal situation our city faces," Adams said in a statement. "To balance the budget as the law requires, every city agency dug into their own budget to find savings, with minimal disruption to services.
Adams, a former cop who campaigned on public safety, now plans to reduce the police force to under 30,000 by 2025--the lowest number in decades.
"We are in some serious financial trouble right now. We just had to announce a budget cut in our services in the city," the Mayor said Thursday.
PREVIOUSLY: Mayor Adams unveils sweeping NYC budget cuts, blaming migrant crisis
Adams also plans to cancel the next five police academy classes for new recruits.
"This is the most painful exercise I’ve ever done in my professional life," Adams said.
There will also be cuts to education, including universal pre-kindergarten programs and sanitation.
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NYPD freezes new recruits amid budget cuts
The NYPD will pause academy classes for the foreseeable future as the city braces for budget cuts. FOX 5 NY's Lisette Nuñez reports.
NYPD, FDNY budgets
The NYPD’s $5.6 billion budget will be cut by about $132 million next year, according to the report.
"This is truly a disaster for every New Yorker who cares about safe streets. Cops are already stretched to our breaking point, and these cuts will return us to staffing levels we haven’t seen since the crime epidemic of the 80s and 90s. We cannot go back there," Police Benevolent Association president Patrick Hendry told the New York Post.
Hundreds of NYPD recruits are pictured inside the St. John's University gym during their graduation ceremony in Queens, New York. (Luiz C. Ribeiro for New York Daily News/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Former NYPD Commissioner Dermot Shea has said he "is open to giving up some of the ancillary functions the NYPD has taken on over the years, such as school safety."
As for the FDNY, costs will slowly be reduced and any civilian and light-duty firefighter vacancies will be eliminated.
Education, library budgets
New York City's teachers' union was also critical of the cuts to education.
"Rather than protect our public schools, City Hall proposes to cut overall funding, and on top of that, is making good on another threat by clawing back $109 million from city classrooms," United Federation of Teachers President Michael Mulgrew told FOX NEWS.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JULY 22: Teachers and Principal Alice Hom (2nd R) help students taking part in the Summer Rising program at Yung Wing School P.S. 124 in New York City. (Photo by Michael Loccisano/Getty Images)
"That means 653 schools — 43% of the school system — will be hit now with midyear budget cuts. Class sizes will rise, and school communities will be needlessly damaged," he added.
The city's education department will be forced to cut services for its youngest residents.
Summer Rising, the city's academic enrichment camp, will reduce its days and hours of operation significantly.
At least $547 million will be cut this fiscal year and another $600 million in 2025 – a total of $1 billion will be slashed over two years.
Thousands of universal prekindergarten spots will also be cut.
Libraries will also see major cuts--starting in December, most branches will close on Sundays.
FOX NEWS contributed to this report.