Since January 20, 2025, this federal administration has targeted New York by withholding funding, threatening essential services, and trying to use the power of government to force our state into submission.
We answered the only way New Yorkers know how: by fighting back.
Over the past year and a half, my office has filed 74 lawsuits challenging unlawful federal actions. We are leading 38 of those cases, more than half of the lawsuits filed during this period. And when courts have ruled, we have prevailed 88% of the time.
Those victories have protected more than $230 billion in taxpayer dollars for New York, including $122.5 billion in illegal cuts and another $107.8 billion subjected to coercive conditions. Thanks to our signature New York refusal to back down, we have also saved more than 225,000 jobs.
The White House’s attempts at a sweeping federal funding freeze would have put health care, schools, food assistance, public safety, transportation, and other basic services at risk—but we thwarted their attacks. We saved the Gateway Program’s Hudson Tunnel Project, the nation’s most important infrastructure project, recovering more than $10 billion and roughly 90,000 jobs. We upheld congestion pricing, defended billions for the MTA, and blocked the administration’s attempts to hold transportation and anti-terrorism funding hostage.
Through it all, we fought for New York’s working families. We protected SNAP benefits during a government shutdown, stood up for Head Start funding, preserved resources for schools and student mental health, and safeguarded billions of dollars for health care and social services.
When unlawful tariffs threatened to raise costs for families and businesses, we took the administration to court. We won at every level, including the United States Supreme Court. When federal officials tried to halt offshore wind development, we secured construction jobs and billions of dollars in projected economic development.
We have defended the rights and freedoms of all New Yorkers. Our very first lawsuit challenged an unconstitutional attack on birthright citizenship. Since then, we have fought unlawful immigration policies, defended the LGBTQ+ community, advanced civil rights, and filed more than 140 amicus briefs in courts across the country.
In total, we have secured 63 court orders blocking unlawful federal actions, and we have already defeated three lawsuits brought by the Department of Justice against New York.
These numbers tell a powerful story. Behind every dollar protected and every job preserved is a person, a family, or a community that was counting on us.
That is why I fight. I first ran for office because I saw too many neighbors left out of the sunshine of opportunity. Always, I wield the sword and shield of the law on their behalf, fending off attacks from bullies in Washington.
The law, as I see it, is a promise: that no one is above it, that government power has limits, and that the rights of the people must reign supreme.
In the weeks to come, I will continue to provide updates like this on Substack to keep you informed about the battles ahead, the progress we make, and the stakes for New York families. Come what may, rest assured that my office and I have always got your back.
New York never backs down from a fight. Neither do I.
