New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani met with Gov. Kathy Hochul at her Manhattan office for about 90 minutes on Thursday afternoon.

Representatives for Mamdani and Hochul said the two discussed affordability and public safety issues, among other issues. 

Their representatives say the two spoke in greater depth specifically about Mamdani’s universal child care proposal, ongoing attacks on New York from Washington and President Trump, and the fiscal outlook for the city and state. 

They also discussed areas in which they could partner to ensure Mamdani’s mayoralty delivers for New Yorkers, their reps said. 

In a post on social media, Hochul called the meeting a “productive discussion on our shared priorities and all we’ll accomplish for New Yorkers together.”

Universal child care

One of Mamdani’s signature proposals is universal child care, which would establish free child care for children from 6 weeks to 5 years old. The New York City Council has previously introduced a measure to that effect. 

Mamdani hasn’t yet said how much the program would cost, but he says the city’s lack of universal child care has cost its economy more than $20 billion during Mayor Eric Adams’ mayoralty, with mothers leaving the workforce and families leaving New York City outright. 

Mamdani has proposed paying for universal child care and other signature proposals like free buses by raising taxes on corporations and people earning more than $1 million, but those tax increases must be approved by the state Legislature and Hochul. 

“Both discussed a shared desire to make significant additional investments that put New York on a path to universal child care,” their representatives said in a statement, adding senior staffers will meet in the next few weeks to discuss a plan for fiscal year 2027 and beyond. 

Representatives for their camps said the two talked about ways to build on existing structures in the city to expand access. 

ICE operations in NYC

Hochul and Mamdani discussed the possibility that the federal government may look to either dramatically increase Immigration and Customs Enforcement operations in New York City, or deploy the National Guard. 

“Both agreed that New York is safe and that a federal surge would not improve public safety,” their reps said. 

Hochul’s team shared with Mamdani “an update on ongoing preparedness efforts should the federal government target New York,” and Mamdani staffers will now be involved in those efforts.

The president has yet to announce any specific plans to deploy the National Guard to New York City or to surge ICE operations. The night of Mamdani’s victory, however, he posted a cryptic “And so it begins” message on social media.  

New York’s fiscal outlook 

Representatives from the Hochul and Mamdani camps did not provide much by way of details about was discussed between the two in terms of how to pay for Mamdani’s campaign promises, saying instead they discussed “the city and state’s fiscal landscape.” 

Mr. Trump has repeatedly threatened to withhold federal funds from New York in the event Mamdani was elected, and it appears those threats were discussed. The two discussed “the need to balance proposed federal cuts with ongoing investments that matter to New Yorkers,” their representatives said. 

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