New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is proposing both a millionaires’ tax and a corporate tax increase to support a long wish list of policy items, including universal child care. In an interview with Capital Tonight, state Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie wouldn’t discuss increasing either tax, saying it’s premature to talk about the issue before Gov. Kathy Hochul lays out her priorities in the State of the State address scheduled for next Tuesday. 

The speaker called out the state’s congressional Republicans by name, demanding that they press the Trump administration to immediately restore funding for both social services and child care, which it cut off to five states run by Democrats, including New York.

Heastie, who called the move “bullshit,” made the point that Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) funding is assigned to both red and blue counties, which means that those counties represented by Republicans will also see cuts. 

On energy issues, the speaker told Capital Tonight he’s sympathetic to what he calls the “tough position” that Gov. Hochul is in: that the federal government has been in opposition to renewables like wind power, while at the same time, the state’s environmental community has continued to push for the complete implementation of the 2019 Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). But the speaker said there is no appetite in his conference to amend or roll back the climate law. 

Heastie also discussed his desire to reform the state’s redistricting commission. Additionally, he commented on the Grieving Families Act, which was vetoed for the fourth time this year, and the Raise the Age law, which he still strongly supports.