Mayor Eric Adams calls off next round of NYC migrant budget cuts after revenue surprise, cost reductions

Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday called off the next round of budget cuts — sparing all city agencies further belt-tightening and lifting a hiring freeze — citing “better-than-expected” revenue and further reductions in migrant spending.

City Hall, in part, attributed the cancellation of the third wave of 5% cuts anticipated for this fiscal year to a 10% slash in spending on care for the tens of thousands of asylum seekers in the Big Apple, bringing the total cost of the crisis at around $10 billion through FY2025.

“Make no mistake — we are not yet out of the woods, as we still need Albany and Washington, DC to play their roles in providing New Yorkers with additional support,” Adams said, praising his administration for maintaining the city’s bond rating during the migrant crisis.

The mayor had signalled that the controversial cuts could be reversed when he unveiled his $109.4 billion budget plan last month, noting an expected influx of state funds to address the city’s migrant crisis in the next fiscal year.

But Adams’ Wednesday announcement — in a pre-taped interview aired on WABC-TV and a press release — was a stark contrast to the multi-day media tour last month when his administration slowly restored a handful of controversial budget cuts, including of the NYPD’s final recruit class this year and to FDNY staffing.

Hizzoner was actually in Missouri during the announcement, slated to tour the World Wide Technology, which has a pair of contracts with NYC for roughly $400 million, according to his schedule and city records.