In a scathing opinion piece published on November 19, 2025, New York Post columnist Miranda Devine accused Governor Kathy Hochul of funneling $113 million in taxpayer dollars to radical left-wing organizations since assuming office in 2021. This figure encompasses $66 million already disbursed through grants and an additional $47 million in promised contracts, supporting causes ranging from defunding the police and promoting open borders to advancing transgender ideology among minors, enforcing climate mandates, and fueling anti-Israel activism.
Devine argues that these allocations reveal Hochul's alignment with "Defund the Police" Democrats, prioritizing ideological agendas over public safety and fiscal responsibility amid New York's ongoing crime and budget crises. The report below examines the specifics of these grants, their recipients, and the broader implications, drawing directly from Devine's analysis.
Kathy Hochul, a Democrat who succeeded Andrew Cuomo as governor in August 2021, has faced mounting criticism for her handling of New York's post-pandemic recovery. The state grapples with a $4 billion budget deficit, surging violent crime rates—up 12% in major cities like New York City in 2024—and a population exodus of over 100,000 residents in the past year alone. Despite these challenges, Hochul's administration has directed significant funds toward nonprofit and advocacy groups aligned with progressive causes. Devine highlights how these grants, often masked as "social justice" or "equity" initiatives, enable overt political operations that undermine law enforcement and traditional values.
The $113 million total stems from state budgets and federal pass-through funds, administered through agencies like the Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance and the Department of Health. Devine contends that this spending spree exemplifies a broader Democratic strategy to embed left-wing activism into government programming, echoing national trends under the Biden-Harris administration. For instance, similar grants have supported bail funds for rioters during the 2020 George Floyd protests and sanctuary city policies that shield undocumented immigrants from federal authorities.
Devine's article meticulously catalogs the recipients, revealing a pattern of funding for organizations that advocate dismantling key institutions of law and order. Below is a categorized overview of the major allocations, with specific amounts and purposes.
A significant portion of the grants—approximately $10 million—targets groups pushing to reduce incarceration, demilitarize policing, and redirect funds from law enforcement. This aligns with the 2020 "Defund the Police" movement, which Devine links directly to Hochul's allies, including incoming New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist.
Make the Road New York: Received $2.7 million to advance campaigns for defunding police departments, demilitarizing U.S. borders, abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and granting legal status to all immigrants regardless of entry method. The group has organized protests calling for the abolition of the New York Police Department (NYPD).
Bronx Defenders: Awarded $4.7 million for civil legal services, but the organization openly advocates abolishing ICE and the NYPD while supporting "Palestinian liberation and resistance," including endorsements of groups labeled as terrorist sympathizers by critics.
Niagara County Programs: $2.6 million funneled through local initiatives to shrink jail populations via "alternatives to incarceration" and "raise the age" policies, emphasizing community-based services over traditional prosecution.
New York Immigration Coalition: $2 million to bolster sanctuary policies, explicitly calling for defunding police, ICE, and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
These efforts, Devine argues, have contributed to New York's lenient criminal justice reforms, such as cashless bail laws, which critics say have led to revolving-door justice for repeat offenders.
Immigration-related grants total around $15 million, focusing on legal aid for migrants, anti-deportation services, and resistance to federal enforcement. In a state that has seen over 200,000 migrant arrivals since 2022—costing taxpayers $12 billion— these funds exacerbate the strain on resources.
New York Legal Assistance Group: $1.6 million to defend undocumented migrants against deportation and terminate state cooperation with ICE.
Research Foundation for the State University of New York: $9.5 million for the Migrant Education Outreach Program, providing services to undocumented students and families.
Central American Refugee Center: $1.2 million for immigration legal services targeting individuals in removal proceedings.
Neighbors Link Corporation: $247,000 for migrant assistance programs.
Columbia County Sanctuary Movement: $75,000 to shield undocumented individuals from deportation and lobby against state involvement in immigration detention.
Devine quotes Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who blasted these allocations: "Our tax dollars should go towards fighting criminals, not helping them."
Stefanik further labeled Hochul "just another Defund the Police Democrat like her puppet master New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani.
Nearly $2 million supports organizations promoting gender-affirming care and LGBTQ+ programming for youth as young as 13, raising alarms about ideological indoctrination in schools and health services.
Pride Center of Western New York: $832,000 for all-ages LGBTQ+ events, including support groups for transgender individuals "in the coming out stage."
Callen-Lorde Community Health Center: $150,000 for gender identity medical treatments, mental health counseling, and care for ages 13-24, with a focus on LGBTQ+ youth. An additional $500,000 went to the center's lobbying arm for decriminalizing prostitution.
Rainbow Access Initiative (Prism Counseling & Advocacy): $848,000 for LGBTQ+ health services, including syringe exchanges and mental health support for ages 14+ with "affirming providers."
Devine warns that such funding normalizes irreversible medical interventions for minors, citing rising detransitioner lawsuits nationwide.
About $1 million advances "green" policies that impose restrictions on housing and energy, often at the expense of affordability.
CEC Stuyvesant Cove Inc.: $366,000 to lobby for banning natural gas hookups in new buildings and transitioning to "sustainable alternatives."
Hispanic Federation: $393,000 for "environmental justice" in Latino communities, alongside advocacy for defunding ICE and CBP.
These grants, per Devine, prioritize elite-driven climate agendas over practical solutions like expanding nuclear energy.
Anti-Israel and DEI-Focused Funding
Smaller but symbolic allocations include:
Muslim Community Association of Mohawk Valley (Utica Masjid): $138,000 for "homeland security and nonprofit security," despite reposting content accusing Israel of "genocide" and civilian killings in Gaza.
Farm Training Collective NYC Inc. (Black Farmers United): $400,000 for racial justice and supporting BIPOC farmers under DEI frameworks.
Pro-Abortion and Reproductive Rights
Over $9 million bolsters abortion access, including hormone therapy.
National Abortion Federation: $347,000 for provider support and DEIA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility) initiatives.
Planned Parenthood of Greater New York: $6.2 million for abortion services.
Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic Inc.: $2.6 million to expand abortions and gender-affirming care for 16+ without parental referral.
Devine's piece amplifies bipartisan outrage, particularly from upstate Republicans like Stefanik, who declared, "Hochul will have plenty more time on her hands to support radical nonprofits after we defeat her next year to save New York."
Conservatives argue these grants violate taxpayer intent, as New Yorkers voted overwhelmingly against progressive criminal reforms in 2022 referendums. Moreover, Devine calculates that the $113 million could alternatively fund a full year of education for 6,000 low-income children at charter schools, underscoring opportunity costs in underfunded public systems.
Legally, such funding skirts ethics rules by supporting groups engaged in political lobbying, potentially inviting audits from the incoming Trump administration's DOJ. Politically, it positions Hochul as vulnerable in her 2026 reelection bid, especially as Trump prepares to crack down on sanctuary policies via executive orders.
Miranda Devine's exposé lays bare a troubling theft and use of public funds to subsidize left-wing extremism under the guise of compassion. The $113 million in grants not only diverts resources from crime victims and struggling families but entrenches divisive ideologies that have eroded trust in New York's institutions. As Stefanik's barbs suggest, this could catalyze a conservative resurgence, forcing Democrats to reckon with the electoral backlash against "woke" governance. For taxpayers, the message is clear: demand transparency and redirect funds toward safety, education, and economic growth. Without reform, Hochul's legacy risks being defined not by progress, but by bankruptcy of fisc and morality.
Editorial comments expressed in this column are the sole opinion of the writer.
