May 15, 2026

Legislature Stands at Ease — We Do Not

The NYS budget is now six weeks late. New York state lawmakers passed a twelfth budget extender, punting the latest Budget deadline to Monday. Read more on the holdup from New York State of Politics here.

Deputy State Senate Majority Leader Mike Gianaris told reporters that widespread hopes of finalizing the process by next week appear to be evaporating. “Very slim,” he said when asked what he felt the chances were that the budget could be wrapped up by the end of next week. “I hope we start voting on bills next week, but that’s not certain.”

Meanwhile, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins told reporters “that we will be entering the beginning of the end over the next few days with the hope of reaching an end sometime next week.” So, if Senate leadership can’t coalesce on a timeline, it’s anyone’s guess.

Deal or no deal? Last week, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie railed against the notion there was general consensus on the budget as projected by Governor Hochul. “There’s no deal,” he said. “I’m saying this to y’all very clearly: I’m never doing this again. Budgets are supposed to be about money, not policy.” You can read our recap of the governor’s consensus announcement here.

In a twist, both Gianaris and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie told reporters that the delay will not stop the state from taking up a long-anticipated constitutional amendment that would potentially allow mid-decade redistricting and change parameters around the state’s Independent Redistricting Commission. “Oh, we’re definitely doing redistricting,” Heastie said. The legislature is slated to end the 2026 session on June 4, giving them only weeks to pursue other priorities and legislation.

The budget is now the latest in 16 years, and the fifth straight late budget under Hochul's tenure. New York is not new to protracted budget negotations. For many years they stretched into July and August. Check out a brief history of New York’s affinity for late budgets here. 

How Can We Advocate Now?

At this point, we have heard that everything is still on the table, including our request for a 4% Targeted Inflationary Increase.

The work is not over. We are all tired, but must remain diligent. As lawmakers continue allocating state spending to meet competing priorities, it's critical that our voices remains strong and visible.

To join us you can:

• Go to the Capitol
• Call legislators
• Help create a social media storm
• Send direct emails with The Arc New York and NYDA TII info sheets attached

You can find more advocacy resources and action tools in our April 24 Update. And, as always, take a moment to send a message through our one-click campaign.

NADSP Rejects Claims of HCBS Medicaid Fraud

The National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) released a strong statement rejecting the misleading narrative advanced by the Administration during the May 13, 2026 press conference in which Vice President JD Vance and CMS Administrator Mehmet Oz suggested that Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) programs are driven by Medicaid fraud. You can read the full statement here.

We shared a timeline of the evolving accusations and the exchange of letters between the federal government and NYS in our April 17 update.

Take Action on Federal Threats to People with Disabilities

The Arc of the United States has updated its Action Center with new campaigns focused on:

• Protecting Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS)
• Reversing cuts to essential SNAP benefits, and
• Sharing stories about why public education matters for people with disabilities

Congress made the largest Medicaid cut in history last year, eliminating nearly $1 trillion in federal support. Access to HCBS is already strained, public education supports for children with disabilities are under pressure, and now Congress is considering additional cuts that could further weaken an already fragile system.

We need your help.

We’re asking you, and everyone who cares about disability rights and community living, to contact your members of Congress and urge them to protect HCBS and the critical services millions of people depend on every day.

ICYMI: Willowbrook Legacy and CSI Archives

The College of Staten Island Willowbrook Taskforce sponsored a panel discussion on the expansion of the Disability History Archives on April 28. The discussion shared how the growing collection enhances the college's existing research archives. Located on the former grounds of Willowbrook State School, the CSI campus is “ground zero” for Disability Justice. We are thrilled that The Arc New York Archives collection is now a part of this larger collection, supporting research, advocacy, and the preservation of disability history. You can view the discussion here.

This and all advocacy updates are archived on The Arc New York website for future reference. Please contact us if you have questions regarding any of this information.