![\"mayor](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/55133081579_5c5a424ce6_o.jpg\" "\\"MAMDANI\u2019S")
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Mayor Zohran Mamdani pushed forward Tuesday on several arms of his affordability agenda, securing partial victories in the state Assembly and Senate with their support of income and corporate tax hikes, and announcing an additional 1,000 seats in the city\u2019s 3-K expansion.<\/p>\n
Ed Reed\/Mayoral Photography Office<\/p>\n
Tuesday, March 10, marked the 69th day of Zohran Mamdani\u2019s term as mayor. amNewYork is following Mamdani around his first 100 days in office<\/a>. We are closely tracking his progress on fulfilling campaign promises, appointing key leaders to government posts, and managing the city\u2019s finances. Here\u2019s a summary of what the mayor did today.<\/p>\n Mayor Zohran Mamdani<\/a> pushed forward Tuesday on several arms of his affordability agenda, securing partial victories in the state Assembly and Senate with their support of income and corporate tax hikes, and announcing an additional 1,000 seats in the city\u2019s 3-K expansion.<\/p>\n The Assembly and Senate on Monday evening, in their one-house budgets, approved corporate tax hikes that met Mamdani\u2019s demands and an income tax hike that, while raising taxes on New York\u2019s wealthiest, fell short of what the mayor had hoped for. Whether those increases become a reality depends on how budget negotiations with Gov. Kathy Hochul shake out, as she has repeatedly said she would oppose any new tax increases.<\/p>\n But Mamdani bristled at one point \u2014 neither proposal mentions a plan to extend the current system that affords the mayor control over New York City Public Schools.<\/p>\n Mamdani celebrates a partial win as Assembly and state Senate favor tax hikes<\/p>\n The one-house budgets signal a preference in Albany for Mamdani\u2019s vision for taxes over that of Hochul, who has long rejected calls to raise income taxes and \u201ctax the rich.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe legislature and I agree: we cannot bridge this budget deficit on the backs of working-class New Yorkers,\u201d Mamdani said in a Tuesday news release about the budgets. \u201cI\u2019m grateful that the Assembly and Senate One-House Budgets recognize the scale of the fiscal crisis facing New York City.\u201d<\/p>\n The city is facing a $5.4 billion budget shortfall<\/a> \u2014 a fiscal gap that the Mamdani administration has blamed on his predecessor, former Mayor Eric Adams. Mamdani has repeatedly called for corporate and high-income tax hikes to help close the gap, an effort that has worried more moderate Democrats like Hochul and fiscal conservatives.<\/p>\n Hochul and Mamdani<\/a> announced last month that New York State would write the City a $1.5 billion check to help close the shortfall, which in February stood at roughly $7 billion. Mamdani has urged the State to offer more fiscal support for the City \u2014 a battle that has long raged in New York \u2014 citing the City\u2019s disproportionately large contribution to the State\u2019s economy.<\/p>\n Hochul said last week that she was \u201cnot frustrated<\/a>\u201d by Mamdani\u2019s calls to \u201ctax the rich\u201d as City Hall began to signal its optimism regarding support for tax hikes in Albany.<\/p>\n \u201cGovernor Hochul looks forward to negotiating with the legislature to reach a budget agreement that makes New York safer and more affordable,\u201d a spokesperson for the Governor wrote in a statement to amNewYork.<\/p>\n Mamdani thanked Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, State Senate Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins, and the Assembly and Senate Democratic conferences for \u201casking more from the wealthiest New Yorkers and by creating a fairer balance in the city\u2019s fiscal relationship with the state.\u201d<\/p>\n He also thanked the Senate and Assembly for their support of a fare-free bus pilot program extension<\/a> \u2014 a program he sponsored while in the Assembly. Mamdani promised during his campaign to eliminate bus fares across the city, but has hit road blocks in Albany, with state lawmakers and the MTA hesitant to make such a drastic change to the city\u2019s transportation revenue.<\/p>\n Schools: Mamdani looks for mayoral control extension<\/p>\n Mamdani indicated his desire to extend mayoral control of NYC Schools despite neither proposal mentioning such a plan. The week before his inauguration, Mamdani reversed his stance<\/a> on mayoral control of schools, a system he had previously said he hoped to abolish.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe State\u2019s support has also been integral to advancing universal child care, and I deeply appreciate Governor Hochul and the State legislature\u2019s partnership to that end,\u201d Mamdani said in Tuesday\u2019s news release. He thanked State partners for supporting his campaign promise to bring universal childcare and expanded education to New York City.<\/p>\n \u201cHowever, we would not have been able to launch 2-K or begin to fix the issues plaguing 3-K without mayoral control,\u201d he continued. \u201cMayoral control is key to delivering our affordability agenda, and I look forward to continuing to work with leaders in Albany to secure its extension.\u201d<\/p>\n Mayoral control<\/a> has long been controversial in New York City, with some elected and education advocates arguing that it affords unfettered power over the country\u2019s largest school system to one individual. With mayoral control, Mamdani unilaterally appoints the Schools Chancellor and most members of the education oversight panel, which approves contracts and school closures. The City Council has little power over public schools.<\/p>\n \u201cNew York City is the economic engine of our state \u2014 restoring our city\u2019s fiscal health is an investment in the state\u2019s economic well-being,\u201d Mamdani said. \u201cI am encouraged and heartened by the relationship that we have built with Governor Hochul and the State legislature, and I look forward to continuing to review their proposals and build upon the work we have done together throughout this budget process.\u201d<\/p>\n Mamdani, Samuels expand 3-K by over 1,000 seats<\/p>\n Mamdani announced on Tuesday that New York City would add over 1,000 seats to its 3-K program, marking another win in the mayor\u2019s push for universal childcare. The new seats are in 56 zip codes across the five boroughs \u2014 five in the Bronx, six on Staten Island, eight in Brooklyn, 16 in Manhattan, and 21 in Queens.<\/p>\n \u201cFor too long, families were promised universal 3-K but offered seats miles away, forcing them to pay out of pocket for child care or leave the city,\u201d Mamdani said at a Tuesday news conference on Staten Island announcing the expansion. \u201cToday, we\u2019re making a new commitment: government can deliver real relief from the affordability crisis. By making 3-K truly universal, we\u2019re building a city where every New Yorker can afford to raise a family.\u201d<\/p>\n Mamdani\u2019s focus on universal childcare was a core tenet of his campaign for mayor. His ultimate goal is to provide all families in the city with free, universal childcare for kids as young as six months old. The 2-K program is set to reach \u201cfull universality\u201d within four years, according to the City.<\/p>\n He is making rapid progress on his universal childcare promise with Hochul\u2019s support. Just last week, Hochul and Mamdani announced that they would expand 2-K by 2,000 seats<\/a>, building off their announcement in early January<\/a> that the state would support universal childcare for two-year-olds.<\/p>\n \u201cAdding seats in communities where demand is growing helps more families access high-quality early childhood education that supports children\u2019s learning, development and long-term success,\u201d Samuels said at Tuesday\u2019s news conference.<\/p>\n