Politics UNusual - NYC Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iscol, Andrew Rein on NY state budget, NJ Governor's race

Welcome back to our new show, Politics Unusual. I'm Morgan Mackay

We're taking a deep dive into political issues that are important to you at home

Our first guest today will be New York City Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iskell

Then we'll speak to Andrew Ryan from the Citizens Budget Commission to talk about the very late state budgets

Then we'll check in on the New Jersey governor's race. But first, could New York City move to have an open primary system

That is one of several election reforms that the New York City Charter Revision Commission is reportedly considering this year

And do you remember Peanut the Squirrel? Well, his death is now sparking new legislation in New York

Peanut was rescued by an upstate man and lived with him for seven years

before the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation seized the squirrel and euthanized him

They say in order to test the animal for rabies, this new bill would require a 72-hour waiting

period before animals from animal sanctuaries are euthanized. But joining us today is Emergency Management Commissioner Zach Iskell

Thank you so much for joining us today. I really appreciate it. Thanks for having me on. Congratulations on the new show

Excited to be on with you and excited to be watching this on Friday nights. Thank you so much

So I wanted to start first off with the horrific helicopter crash yesterday that ended up killing

six people or hurts go out to their families and friends. You know, your team did such incredible

work as well yesterday dealing with all of that. But I wanted to talk about, you know, what's next

you know, in terms of legislation. And do you think this should lead to more reforms or regulations

over the tourist industry when it comes to helicopters? I mean, so first off, like you said

my heart goes out to the families who lost their loved ones, the family of the pilot

that family of five, it really is tragic and it's awful. And a huge credit to the first responders who were on the scene immediately

I mean, the work that they did last night or yesterday afternoon was really incredible

And so right now what's happening is we transitioned from rescue and recovery operations

and now the investigation is taking place. So last night our team was working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

the U.S. Coast Guard, National Transportation Safety Board, the FBI, local law enforcement in New Jersey to get the helicopter out of the Hudson. They moved it to

facility and they're going to do the investigation now. And I think it's premature to get ahead of

that investigation. We need to see what went wrong. Were there mechanical failures? Was it

you know, some other types of errors? Let's let the investigation run its course. And then from

there, we can figure out what the recommendations are to make sure this doesn't happen in the future

Switching gears a little bit, you've been ringing alarm bells for a while now about

federal funding and the impact it could have here in the city. And one of the things that

you have mentioned is how emergency management relies upon about $110 million in federal grants

That includes about 160 jobs or two-thirds of the agency's headcount. How concerned are you

about some possible future funding cuts? So our funding from the city, it's about $25 million for

my agency in particular, but two-thirds of my agency is federally funded. And that is in the

wake of 9-11, the federal government set up a program to fund emergency management agencies

across the country, largely in response to acts of terrorism. But there are now cuts that are

happening across the board to federal agencies, to budget, to personnel, to major programs. And

those impacts are pretty significant. So we launched a 90-day review a couple weeks ago

We have some amazing folks that are participating in it, real national leaders, city leaders

where we're looking at the gaps that are being created by these changes at the federal level

and then how we at the local level can creatively fill them

But it's going to be very, very hard. I mean, we really rely on our federal partners, as we did last night, right

Last night, this helicopter crash. We have the FBI, U.S. Coast Guard, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

We really need these federal partners in times of emergencies. Now, even more immediately, the Trump administration is already making some cuts to your guys' funding

And that includes about three hundred and twenty five million dollars that was meant for flood mitigation

And there are several projects, too, that are going to be impacted from this. Help explain a little bit more

Yeah. So I think we should take a step back and explain what this program is. So in in 2018, the Trump administration actually with bipartisan support of Congress started something called BRIC, which is building resilient infrastructure and communities

And it's the only federal program. And it's one of the best things to come out of the first Trump administration

It's one of the only federal programs that invests in infrastructure, mitigation, resilience to help us prepare for emergencies

You know, as an emergency manager, I really believe the best emergency is one that doesn't happen or it's one that you're prepared for

And these dollars help us identify hazards around the country, not just in New York City

Right So they use it in California for fire mitigation on the Gulf Coast for hurricane mitigation A lot of states use it to take power lines and move them underground so they not susceptible to high winds and to keep the electricity going And in the city we using it primarily for floods coastal floods stormwater flooding We have a great program up at Hunts Point

where a lot of the city's food comes in to make that resilient. So these dollars are critical to

help us prepare. And the program was just cut by Department of Homeland Security. So what's next

for you guys in terms of that program? So we are now working very closely with OMB to identify

some of these projects are major infrastructure projects, right? Increasing our sewer capacity

for floodwater, building coastal resiliency. So we're now doing an ysis of all of the projects

that are affected by this lack of funding or these funding cuts. Some of these projects are already

underway. And we're then looking at which are some of the programs that might just have to go

on the back shelf, which some of these programs maybe we find other capital dollars for, which

ones we maybe lobby to the state for funding. So we got to figure out how to fill those gaps right

now because it really is critically important. And state lawmakers right now are struggling to

try to grapple with maybe what's next a little bit. Senate Majority Leader Andre Stewart-Cousins

just spoke the other day, and we're going to play a soundbite here, and I'll have you respond

Dark clouds loom, but look at the stock market. You know, for three days it's down, now it's up

So it's extremely hard to know exactly what we are dealing with

So I think we're dealing with the realities that we have in front of us

So Senate Majority Leader Andre Stewart-Cousins, Assembly Speaker Carl Hastie, Governor Kathy Hochul

they've all kind of said similar things, is that it's hard right now to determine exactly where some of these funding cuts are going to be

so it's hard to prepare for them. Do you agree with that? It's very hard, right? We don't know what is..

It's very hard to plan when you don't know what to plan around. I will say one of the things about this mitigation funding is it's great business

We know that every dollar you spend in mitigation, resilience, and preparing

saves you at a minimum $6 later on, maybe even as much as $12

So that $300 million, that could cost us $1.8 billion. It will cost us $1.8 billion down the line

So it's better to pay for it now, make these investments now in order to safeguard us in the future

Exactly. Now, one other thing. Back last fall, there were rumors that you were considering possibly leaving your office

when there was some of the scandals going on in Mayor Eric Adams' office

Now, you stayed, but are you planned to endorse in this mayoral race

I am in an apolitical position. It is great. I get to stay out of this mayoral race

So, no, I don't. As a city commissioner, we don't do endorsements. We stay out of local politics

You know, I'm very proud to be working for this mayor, for this administration. I think there's a lot more we have to do

And certainly, you know, we are in a moment of crisis, right

and there's a lot that my team has on its plate, and we're looking forward to serving New Yorkers during this time

And you guys have done such incredible work. Is there anything, though, that you're looking forward to

Are you looking at maybe running for mayor yourself one day? I am looking forward to spending time with my kids, right, to seeing

I mean, that's a thing. For me, I have two things that I do

I spend time with my kids. I spend time with the amazing men and women I work with

that New York City Emergency Management. And it's a pretty good life where you get to serve

New Yorkers and also, you know, get home to tubby time every once in a while. Exactly. Perfect. Thank

you so much, Commissioner, for coming on. I really appreciate your time. Thanks for having me here. Awesome. And congrats again. Thank you. Now, next, the New York State budget is almost two weeks late

and lawmakers are frustrated. Coming up, we'll be joined by the President of the Citizens Budget

Commission to break down how the state wants to actually spend your tax dollars

Welcome back to

politics unusual. New York state budget negotiations are at a standstill and state lawmakers once again

went home for the weekend. So joining us now is our next guest, Andrew Ryan from the Citizens

Budget Commission, a nonpartisan think tank. You are our numbers guy, strictly numbers. But I am

going to get your take on something a little outside of numbers, but still in your wheelhouse

here So Assembly Speaker Carl Hastie introduced a bill over the week and this has to do with policy because as you know budgets being late that nothing new up in Albany But you know having policy in the budget it really sort of drags down the budget process slows it down

And so Assembly Speaker Carl Hasty says that as long as there is policy in the budget, state lawmakers could still get paid

And that was a bill that he introduced. Now, that's kind of one of the reasons why budget negotiations continue is because state lawmakers don't get paid right now

But what's your take on this? So we're 11 days late. We have the federal cuts, the looming federal cuts, staring us down, an increasing chance of a recession, a crumbling MTA

And yes, we have a late budget because we're talking about policy. It does bounding up policy in the budget, does both of them short shrift

You don't get enough about budget making and you don't get enough about policy making. These are all important

Separating them would be better. But frankly, over the last 15 years, long before any of these three leaders were in their job, more and more policy got into the budget process until we got to this culture where you can't make big decisions without the cudgel of a budget decision hanging over your head

So there's finger pointing all the time. And it's actually understandable when you have big policy issues to band in the budget because that's how things are done

But we need to unwind it. Instead of finger pointing at each other, let's point to the future and the governor, the speaker and the majority leader get together and say we can actually make hard decisions without the budget involved

Yes, I know. And governors have the most power during the budget process because of that sort of loophole

But turning to numbers now, the MTA now is 30 billion dollars short when it comes to funding

And, you know, a lot of people, I think, sitting at home are saying, wait, $30 billion are short of because we just paid for congestion pricing

And I know and you know that that is earmarked for certain projects, that money from congestion pricing

But this $30 billion budget hole, state lawmakers are considering possibly a payroll tax increase

What are you guys suggesting that lawmakers sort of look at when it comes to this

There's no question that the MTA needs massive investment in its infrastructure

Right now, it's falling back. We might be having more summers of hell. We're going to have to keep explaining to our boss why we're late for work because the training was delayed

We need massive investment. But we also need everyone who benefits to share in that

Riders, drivers, taxpayers, and frankly, labor has the benefit of those jobs and the benefit of having a stable MTA

So we all need to get together and fund it. But we have to pair that funding

We have to spread it fairly and pair it with an accountability program so that everyone knows that their money is being spent wisely, is on the right stuff, which is getting the system to a state of good repair and keeping it there

Not necessarily nice to do things, but essential to do things so we can get to work

And then making sure that that question is finally answered. Why is it so expensive to build MTA stuff

Costs more than anyplace else, but let's lay to rest. Where could managerial improvements help

And where is just how New York is? We need to do that. So we need to fund the MTA, but we need to fund it fairly

If you keep putting it just on certain businesses, we are going to hurt New York's competitiveness

We are in a competition with other places for residents and businesses. So we have to figure out how to fund the MTA in a way that keeps us competitive

So you have to share the burden. So as they talk about that, make sure it's regional and make sure taxpayers, riders and drivers all contribute

That would be the best way to improve the system and be fair. I think a lot of people see the MTA's budget purses sort of a black hole

So where do you think accountability comes from or how does that work? You know, the MTA produces reams of data

They actually do. They have a lot there. It's not always understandable to a regular layperson, but maybe to my staff

But we need to have project plans that are identified, annual updates simply on those capital projects

Is it getting done? Is it getting done? Are we making progress? Is the system crumbling more

or are we actually catching up? And finally, that study, that independent study to say

why does it cost so much? And from that study, we can learn what the MTA is doing right

maybe what it's doing wrong and how to fix it, but also the public trust

They have to believe their money is spent wisely or what they'll do. And frankly, there are plenty of people who say

why give the MTA money? Well, we have to actually give it money if we're going to get to work on time

and if our economy is going to be growing and if our quality of life is going to be decent

But we have to hold them accountable for real delivery of good projects on time under budget

Yes. And so looking another issue that you guys have raised in the past, this is the spending one billion dollars on loosely defined climate projects

That's something your group has highlighted. And that's because the state hasn't spent the two billion already set aside for the Environmental Bond Act

I mean, let's think about this. The governor went to the people of New York and said vote for my bond act billion to invest in the environment And people overwhelmingly said yes we still have billion that not spent Let spend those billion without figuring out the next billion dollars I mean we literally if we step back we talking

about this billion dollars here. We're talking about tax rebates. When we have federal cuts

staring us down, we've seen the tip of the iceberg and we're looking and kind of potentially saying

oh, well, we'll deal with that later. When you see the tip of the iceberg, you start to change

course. That's what they need to be focused on. Well, hopefully they're listening to you up in

Albany. Thank you so much, Andrew. I really appreciate your time. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you for having me. Awesome. Now, coming up next, still to come, we're shifting our

focus to New Jersey and the race for governor. Also, the plane scare this week involving members

of Congress from New Jersey and New York. Welcome back to Politics Unusual

At least six members of Congress from New Jersey and New York were on a plane headed to JFK this week

when they were struck by another plane while on the runway at Ronald Reagan International Airport

Long Island Congressman Nick LaLoda posting this picture from inside the plane

According to the Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority, the wingtip of one American Airlines plane struck the wingtip of another American Airlines plane

There were no injuries and both planes have been taken out of service for inspection

But this accident is raising new concerns about airline safety. In January, an Army Blackhawk helicopter collided with an American Airlines regional jet that was preparing to land at this same airport

New Jersey Congressman Josh Gottheimer, who is running for governor, says hopefully members will now prioritize funding for the Federal Aviation Administration

There are a bunch of members of Congress on that airplane. I'll tell you, if anything, hopefully this will redouble everyone's efforts to make sure we get answers, not just what happened at the American flight in Washington

but to make sure that the staffing levels and what we need to invest smartly at these airports for the FAA and air traffic controllers

that they get what they need, because to me, you know, you don't play, you don't cut it close when it comes to people's safety

Congressman Gottheimer is one of six candidates running in the New Jersey's Democratic gubernatorial primary election

Also running is Newark Mayor Ross Baraka, Jersey City Mayor Stephen Fulop

Congresswoman Mikey Sherrill, former State Senate President Steve Sweeney, and former Montclair Mayor Sean Spiller

There are also five candidates running in the Republican primary for New Jersey governor

And with such a packed field of candidates, this election cycle is drawing a huge increase in the number of donors to the New Jersey governor's race

State election law officials said this week that there has been a 374 percent increase in the number of people contributing to gubernatorial candidates participating in New Jersey's public financing program

Next up, we're going to be testing your knowledge of the tri-state region. So stay with us as we take a look at some political history

Flashing to the past. Welcome back to Politics Unusual. This week in history

On April 4th, 1973, the World Trade Center's Twin Towers officially opened in New York City

At the time, they were the tallest buildings in the world, standing at 1,368 feet each

The opening marked a pivotal moment for New York City, symbolizing its economic dominance

before the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001. More than 2,750 people were killed in the terrorist attack that day

a day that lives on in history and in our hearts. Finally, tonight, it's time to test your knowledge

Last week, we asked you, in 1884, what was paraded across the Brooklyn Bridge to demonstrate its stability

The answer, 21 elephants and several camels. Showman P.T. Barnum proposed a stunt to prove the bridge was safe and would not collapse

Now, to this week's question, what was the original color of New York City's yellow taxi cabs

Don't Google the answer, but if you know it or want to take a shot at it, go ahead and scan the code on your screen

That's going to take you to our website, fox5ny.com, where you can type in your answer, then check back here to see if you're right

Thank you so much for joining us on this week's episode of Politics Unusual

I'm Morgan Mackay. We look forward to having you back here next week