Power & Politics

The U.S. Senate is currently debating the provisions outlined in the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act", of which was passed last week in the Republican-led House of Representatives.

As a part of the reconciliation package, Congressional Republicans have proposed to cut SNAP benefits by nearly $300 billion dollars. The cut would shift more of the administration costs to the States starting in 2028 while also expand work requirements for adults with children and older Americans.

House GOP reps say these measures are meant to clean up a program with "bureaucratic inefficiencies, misplaced initiatives and limited accountability." They argue the program's original intent is to be temporary, and that by putting the onus on the States to help fund it, they're cracking down on States erroneously making payments, all in order protect taxpayer dollars.

But, anti-hunger advocates are pushing back, in hopes Senate Republicans block the SNAP cuts in the reconciliation plan.

They say need is already at an all-time high due to rising costs, and that these provisions would put more stress on the food pantry system, and create a lack of resources in the event of an economic downturn.

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NYIC President and CEO Murad Awawdeh joined Power & Politics on Thursday to discuss the Cohoes incident, along with the other issues impacting immigrants right now in New York, along with what they're calling on the State to do in the final days of the legislative session.

Last week, two immigrants were arrested by ICE agents at a law enforcement check point in the City of Cohoes. Officials say both men were in the country illegally. The presence of ICE though, sparked a reaction from immigration advocates along with other law enforcement entities who were present.

New York State Police and NYS DMV officials say they left the checkpoint once they realized ICE was present. The New York Immigration Coalition released a statement saying "It’s outrageous that state and local law enforcement would collude with ICE to separate New York families."

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New York's Reparations Commission is nearly one year into its work in examining the legacy of slavery and discrimination in New York, and what potential compensation could come from that.

Over the course of the last few months, New Yorkers have shared their thoughts, their family's history and the impacts of enslavement, redlining and wealth gaps with the New York State Community Commission on Reparations Remedies during public hearings and meetings.

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Steven Greenberg, pollster with the Siena College research institute, joined Power & Politics on Thursday, discussing their latest poll.

He discussed a variety of issues where voters weighed in.

Governor Hochul's favorability remained at her highest levels in more than a year, right around 44-46 percent, which Greenberg said was "disappointing", in a blue state like New York.

At the same time, he discussed the 2026 gubernatorial election, where 46 percent of voters said they would support Hochul as opposed to Antonio Delgado (12 percent) or Ritchie Torres (10 percent).

In recent weeks, Upstate Congresswoman Elise Stefanik has expressed an interest in running as the Republican nominee for Governor in 2026, with this Siena poll finding 35 percent of Republicans saying they would vote for her.

Last month, before Stefanik declared interest, 22 percent of Republicans said they'd vote for Rep. Mike Lawler, which remained the same this month.

28 percent of Republicans said they'd vote for Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman last month, this month, 11 percent said they'd vote for Blakeman.

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New York State Senator Kristen Gonzalez, the Chair of the Senate Internet & Technology Committee, penned a letter signed on by more than 50 NYS Democrats, calling on House Republicans to remove the AI legislation Moratorium in the proposed federal reconciliation bill.

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Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin defended proposed budget cuts to the agency at a House Appropriations subcommittee Thursday morning, and New York environmental advocates are responding.

Rob Hayes, Director of Clean Water at Environmental Advocates, joined Power & Politics to discuss the impact of those federal grant cuts, where the FY2026 State Budget has filled the void, but also where he says the State has "missed opportunities".

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Moments after his speech on the Senate floor, James Skoufis explained his critique of Governor Hochul's handling of the State Budget process.

Skoufis explained why he thinks the Governor wields too much power, calling her an "authoritarian" and "dictator" in the process. He also responded to questions on why he still voted in favor of the budget, his mask restriction legislation holding up the budget (which was more than a month late), and why the Democratic Majority doesn't use more of their power.

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Schenectady — Three candidates on the ballot in June's Albany Chief City Auditor Democratic Primary took the debate stage at CBS6 in Schenectady on Tuesday evening.

Albany County Legislator Sam Fein, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan's Chief of Staff David Galin and former Albany Common Councilor John Rosenzweig discussed their vision for the future of Albany, and the role they'd play if elected to the City's auditor position.

Topics included:

-The City Police Department's shortage of police officers, and how'd they address the issue of recruitment and retention
-The City's SeeClickFix program
-School Speed Cameras
-Their role in facilitating the $200 million allocated in the State budget for the City of Albany
-How they'd fix the City's recent allegations regarding misconduct in the workforce

Primary day is June 24th.

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On the heels of rallying on Wall Street for the reinstatement of the stock transfer tax, Assemblymember Phil Steck (D-Colonie), joined Power & Politics on Thursday.

His bill, which he's pushed throughout his time as a State lawmaker, would tax each sale of stock worth over $20 at 5 cents.

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Four Democratic candidates are set to square off in the June primary, eyeing the party's nomination for Albany Mayor.

Dorcey Applyrs, Dan Cerutti, Corey Ellis, Carolyn McLaughlin took the CBS6 stage for a full 45 minutes of a debate.

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