What's The [DATA] Point

$897 million is the MTA's projected budget gap in 2030. While the budget is stable at the moment, future gaps are widening as expense growth outstrips revenues. On the upside, ridership is near pre-pandemic levels, the MTA is investing in its infrastructure and rolling stock to bring the system into good repair, and congestion pricing is delivering. To help us understand the challenges ahead, we spoke to the head honcho himself, MTA CEO & Chair Janno Lieber.

25 is the number of years that have passed since the attacks on September 11, 2001, a day with little parallel on U.S. soil. Those in government, business, and civic life had the unusual challenge of charting the course of New York's future. With us are two of the people central to the effort: Ed Skyler, former Press Secretary and Deputy Mayor of Operations under Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and Carol Kellermann, former CEO of the September 11th Fund. Ed has since become the Head of Enterprise Services and Public Affairs at Citi and is a former Chair of CBC, and Carol is a retired public servant and former President of CBC.

2040 is the year by which New York State has to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 60% to the maximum extent feasible and cost effective, under the newly-amended Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act (CLCPA). The State also changed how it will measure greenhouse gas emissions to align with the method used by almost all states and the federal government. These changes will have significant, important effects.

Tune in as Julie Tighe, President of the New York League of Conservation Voters, unpacks CLCPA's evolution and what comes next for New York's climate policy.

1963 was the year the original Penn Station began to be demolished. To many, it was a tragedy, demonstrating how steep the cost of progress can be. While the station that rose in its stead has in many ways exceeded expectations, it's past time for an overhaul.  With the site's political and infrastructural constraints, finding a workable solution hasn't been easy, but a new one has emerged to lead the pack, steered by Andy "Train Daddy" Byford and Master Developer (and former CBC fellow) Peter Cipriano. Listen in.

$11 billion is the amount the new Port Authority Bus Terminal is projected to cost, a quarter of PANYNJ's ten year capital plan and a keystone project for the region's travelers. It's still just a small piece of what the Port Authority—and its new executive, Kathryn Garcia—oversees. Garcia is now in charge of a vast network of essential infrastructure, including five airports, PATH, bridges and tunnels, marine terminals and the WTC campus. Her portfolio spans two states and faces myriad challenges from high demand to aging infrastructure and soaring materials costs. Luckily, Garcia is among the region's most capable and well-respected administrators.  We spoke to her about her vision for the Port Authority last week. Tune in.

$124.7 billion is the amount Mayor Mamdani proposes to spend in fiscal year 2027. The budget process is never simple, but this year the intensity ratcheted up. Revealing a large budget gap, the City administration negotiated with the State for aid to bridge it while simultaneously pursuing its ambitious programmatic agenda. Joining CBC to discuss the policy and politics is NYC Budget Director Sherif Soliman, a long-time public servant from three prior mayoral administrations. Together we dug into the key pillars of the City's budget strategy and how to protect NYC's competitiveness, as well as some of the big debates from property tax reform to CityFHEPS. Tune into this week's episode.

21 is the number of days late the State budget was when this episode was recorded. Policy negotiations are proving difficult to resolve, with high-stakes debates continuing over the Governor’s proposals to overhaul auto insurance, reform environmental review for housing construction, and advance the State’s climate agenda.

This week, WTDP welcomes arguably the third most powerful person in the Governor's office for a funny and frank conversation to help us unpack it all. Jackie Bray, Director of New York State Operations, brings a wealth of public sector experience spanning city, state, and federal government. Tune in for her insider's perspective on the challenges and dynamics shaping negotiations.

$127 billion is the size of NYC's Preliminary Budget for Fiscal Year 2027. After reporting a yawning $12 billion budget gap estimate, Mayor Mamdani revised that number down to $5.4 billion, thanks in part to Governor Hochul's willingness to chip in. But don't let the shrinking gap fool you: the underlying problems will not go away without making some tough choices. The Mayor proposes to raise personal income, business and property taxes to close the gap, but are tax hikes really the City's only option? Here to help us explore the City's budget crisis and potential solutions is CBC's Vice President for Research Ana Champeny.

$263 billion is the size of the FY27 State budget proposed by Governor Hochul. With strong tax receipts, the State has enough to close next year's gap and put a dent in future gaps, plus fund universal childcare. But risks abound, including a structural budget gap and federal changes to Medicaid and SNAP. How is the State navigating all these competing forces in an election year? Should NYS be doing more for the City? What are the risks & benefits of higher taxes? We speak with Blake Washington, the State Budget Director, on all this and more in this week's episode.

630,000 is the number of riders who travel through Penn Station every day—making it the busiest transportation hub in the nation. The catch? It was designed, reportedly, for just 200,000. Revitalizing Penn Station is a bit of a white whale for its many stakeholders, including three transit agencies, two states, one city, and now, the Federal government. There is momentum at long last in part thanks to the head of the project for Amtrak, Andy "Train Daddy" Byford. So—what should the station look like? What will happen to MSG? Who will pay—and who's in charge? Listen in as CBC President Andrew Rein and Byford have a substantive conversation about the project's future.