NYPD, FDNY have budget cuts restored

NEW YORK - Mayor Eric Adams announced Wednesday that budget cuts to the NYPD and the FDNY will be restored after better-than-expected tax revenues and 20% cuts to migrant services.

This means that the NYPD will be able to proceed with their April police academy class - bringing in about 600 additional cops and now all four academy classes will proceed this year.

On top of that, 20 FDNY engine companies will be able to add back their fifth firefighter and the agency will be able to maintain 190 firefighters on payroll who are not able to return to full duty status.

"I have to make sure our police officers are on the streets, continue the success that (NYPD) Commissioner Edward Caban has put in place, we have to continue this success," Adams said. "We cannot go backwards."

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All told the city expects to now save more than $2B on the migrant crisis over the next two fiscal years due to these cuts to services. They now project the migrant crisis will cost the city more than $10B from now to the end of June 2025.

Adams said these cuts to migrant costs included scaling back their dining menu and finding cheaper services.

"Everywhere from food, to the cost of housing, to laundry, to security, everything is on the table of how do we get a better price from it," Adams said.

But many critics have been saying that the mayor's math has been wrong from the beginning - and have been pushing back on the 5% cuts to every city agency.

City Councilman Justin Brannan, who also chairs the finance committee, says that the restoration of these cuts is something he has been predicting from the beginning.

"The doom and gloom sort of economic mindset that comes from OMB (Mayor’s Office of Management and Budget) which consistently exaggerates budget gaps, is wrong because I think New Yorkers deserve an honest and clear picture of where we stand," Brannan said.

When it comes to restoring budget cuts to other city agencies like education and libraries, the Mayor says he will be speaking further on it next week during his budget address.