Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins said, “Today’s government shutdown is the direct result of ongoing chaos in Washington and a lack of leadership. This shutdown will have a rippling effect, and it is the Republican Party who must be held responsible, including the seven GOP members of Congress from New York, and the party infrastructure here at home that enables them. This is not about smart governance, this is about their insensitivity to the cruelty and pain they are inflicting on their fellow Americans. This shutdown will force workers to go without paychecks, seniors to go without food, veterans to go without healthcare, and countless communities to suffer in numerous ways because of their political games. While here in New York, we will continue to do everything in our power to stand up for our people. The truth is that the effects of this shutdown will be devastating, and no state will have enough resources to undo every wrong that Washington Republicans are committing. I implore New York’s Republican Representatives to stop enabling this cruelty, to stand up for America, and to put people over party. The people of New York, and this country, deserve nothing less.”

State Senator Toby Ann Stavisky said, “I know how many working families depend on basic needs—putting food on the table, having health care they can count on, and having access to housing they can afford. President Trump, meanwhile, is more concerned with escalators, fake science, and Jimmy Kimmel more than the millions of New Yorkers about to lose their healthcare and SNAP benefits. Republicans control both houses of Congress, and this reckless shutdown robs families of security. We must hold them accountable for preferring chaos over common sense.”

State Senator Liz Krueger said, “This MAGA Shutdown is just the latest example of the damage being done to regular New Yorkers by Donald Trump’s policies that put his billionaire donors first and the American people last. While Democrats in Washington are standing up for families about to lose their health insurance, Republicans are doing their utmost to take it away and make life harder, all while Trump’s reckless flailing drives up inflation and puts the economy on the edge of recession. Enough is enough.”

Senate Deputy Leader Michael Gianaris said, “The Republican government shutdown will hurt Americans and only further cripple the essential services people rely upon. For the sake of all Americans, Republicans need to stop posting memes and airing petty grievances, and instead negotiate a budget that serves the people. Speaker Johnson and New York Republicans are playing games at the expense of New Yorkers, who already pay more than their fair share in taxes. Thank you Governor Hochul for leading in the fight to deliver these critical resources to New Yorkers.”

State Senator James Sanders Jr. said, “I strongly condemn the shutdown of the federal government by President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress. Everyday Americans rely on critical services by the federal government, including seniors, veterans, families, workers, and others. This is another troubling action taken by Trump and the GOP-controlled Congress that works against the public interest, along with the massive Trump and GOP Majority Congress budget cuts and tax breaks giveaway to billionaires.”

State Senator Brad Hoylman-Sigal said, “Donald Trump and his minions recklessly shut down the federal government, and its ordinary New Yorkers who will pay the price. As Trump holds the federal budget hostage and demands cuts to vital health care funding, nearly 3 million New Yorkers face losing access to the SNAP benefits that provide them groceries, New York federal courts may be unable to administer justice, New York housing project approvals may grind to a halt because of a housing loan application freeze, New York small businesses may face closure because they are unable to obtain federal loans, New York travelers may face undue delays at airports because of staffing shortages, and the 16 million annual visitors to New York national parks and historic sites will be shut out. All this to say nothing of the nearly 185,000 federal workers in New York who may go without pay. I stand with Governor Hochul and other elected officials to demand that Donald Trump and his cronies stop selling out New Yorkers and re-open the government as soon as possible.”

State Senator Roxanne J. Persaud said, “Putting politics over people with a reckless shutdown threatens the health, food security, and livelihoods of millions of New Yorkers. This is a cruel betrayal of working families, and we should not stay silent while our communities are left to suffer.”

State Senator Robert Jackson said, “Shutting down the government is not governance—it is abandonment. At a time when families struggle to put food on the table, access care, and stay housed, Washington Republicans are choosing dysfunction over duty. This is not fiscal discipline—it is a failure of moral responsibility. In New York, we know better. We believe the government must be a shield for the vulnerable, not a wall against them. And we will fight to ensure that public service means just that: service, not sabotage.”

State Senator Peter Harkham said, “In just nine months, President Trump and the Republicans in Congress have inflicted immeasurable damage to the health, safety and security of New Yorkers. Their chaotic and cruel governance ignores the rule of law and serves the ultra-rich while life becomes more precarious each day for too many statewide. True to their character, the administration and its allies are already blaming everyone except themselves for the wreckage they will be causing and lives being severely impacted with a government shutdown.”

State Senator Brian Kavanagh said, “The reckless, destructive actions of the Trump administration and Republican majorities in both houses of Congress over the past nine months have threatened the housing stability, healthcare, and food security of countless Americans. Their decision to shut down the federal government will only cause more pointless harm. I am proud to stand with Governor Kathy Hochul and our colleagues here in New York to oppose these destructive actions and to work to ensure that the government we’ve been elected to lead continues to provide critical resources and offer solutions to the big problems we face.”

State Senator John Liu said, “After slashing healthcare funding in the Big Ugly Bill and terrorizing immigrants across the country with ICE attacks, President Trump’s Republican-controlled government is doubling down on its reckless and dangerous behavior by shutting down the government. This Republican-led shutdown will have devastating impacts on the institutions, programming, and services affecting all New Yorkers, from our hospitals to our farmers and families struggling to make ends meet. It’s abhorrent that New Yorkers, along with working people across the country, are being forced to pay the price for the GOP’s chaos and disorder.”

State Senator Shelley B. Mayer said, “A government shutdown will have significant adverse consequences for New Yorkers and Americans across our country. We need to be clear: to avoid a shutdown, there needs to be an agreement that protects New Yorkers from the disastrous impacts of the Trump agenda. And yet so far, the Administration will not agree to such an agreement. The Trump Administration and Congressional Majority have spent the last nine months pursuing an agenda that harms all New Yorkers ––stripping Medicaid coverage from 1.5 million New Yorkers, cutting SNAP benefits that feed thousands of our neighbors, threatening funding for our education system, and tearing apart immigrant families. A government shutdown will only cause further harm. I urge our Republican colleagues who represent New York to step up and reach a meaningful agreement that protects New Yorkers from this imminent harm.”

State Senator Jeremy Cooney said, “Because of reckless decisions in Washington, New Yorkers are suffering devastating consequences. More than 1.5 million New Yorkers have already lost access to health care. Nearly 3 million more are at risk of losing SNAP benefits, hospitals are strained, and farmers are being denied emergency services. Our communities deserve better, and we won’t stop fighting until they get exactly that.”

State Senator Nathalia Fernandez said, “Donald Trump has once again put his own agenda ahead of the American people. His short-sighted leadership has brought our country to the brink of a shutdown that will reach into every community. Families will be left wondering when their paychecks will come. Seniors will wait longer for the benefits they have earned. Small businesses will be stalled because they cannot access the support they rely on. I stand with Governor Hochul in pushing back against this administration’s failed leadership and in demanding accountability. This shutdown is on the Trump administration, and we, the American people, are paying the price.”

State Senator Luis R. Sepúlveda said, “Once again, Donald Trump and his allies in Washington have chosen political games over the lives of working people. Their reckless government shutdown is nothing short of cruel — tearing away food assistance from children, denying care to pregnant women, and destabilizing the very programs that working-class families in New York rely on to survive. This is not leadership; this is betrayal. I am outraged, and I stand firmly with Governor Hochul in demanding accountability and fighting to protect our residents from the devastating consequences of this shameful abuse of power.”

State Senator Kristen Gonzalez said, “This shutdown is another ploy in Trump and Washington Republicans’ sick game and disregard for working-class Americans and New Yorkers. As a result of their budget bill, over a million New Yorkers are expected to lose health care coverage following a global health pandemic. Over 300,000 New Yorkers are expected to lose some SNAP benefits during rising food insecurity. Now, this shutdown will slash even more health, SNAP, WIC, and housing benefits. We deserve better — we deserve Congressional leadership that serves the people, not drives the economy and our nation into chaos.”

Assemblymember Deborah Glick said, “The politics of cruelty and callousness – the hallmark of the Trump regime – is on full display in these mindless cuts, exacerbated by the wholesale shutdown of the government. Contrary to Republican talking points, this shutdown has been engineered and established solely by Republicans who serve the billionaire class and care nothing for everyday Americans.”

Assemblymember Jeffery Dinowitz said, “Donald Trump and Republican lawmakers continue to abandon the American people. This government shutdown will put millions of New Yorkers in harm's way as health coverage disappears, WIC and SNAP benefits decrease and hospitals face delays with federal reimbursements. Trump and his followers in office continue to push divisive language, full of lies about the Democratic party, furthering the divide we currently have in our country. This behavior must stop so we can put American lives first and work together for the greater good of America."

Assemblymember Rebecca A. Seawright said, “As Chair of the Committee on Aging, I am deeply concerned about the devastating impact this reckless shutdown will have on older New Yorkers. Seniors across our state depend on SNAP, housing assistance, and access to health care to live with dignity. Stripping away these lifelines is not only irresponsible — it is cruel. I stand with Governor Hochul and my colleagues in calling out Trump and Washington Republicans for putting politics over people and endangering the health, safety, and well-being of millions, especially our most vulnerable neighbors.”

Assemblymember Andrew Hevesi said, “President Trump and Washington Republicans, including New York’s GOP delegation, have led our country to the brink of a disaster. The last nine months have been a failure of leadership, and now as their party argues over petty grievances, millions of vulnerable New Yorkers will suffer. Today, the cost of their inability to govern will be 2.8 million New Yorkers losing SNAP benefits; hundreds of thousands of women and children left without the WIC nutrition program; tens of thousands of federal workers going without pay; and countless hospitals and farms facing financial ruin. Congressional Republicans must stay in Washington until they reach a deal that keeps the government funded and open, and does not destabilize access to healthcare, or food and nutrition programs.”

Assemblymember Linda B. Rosenthal said, “For someone who boasts about knowing the art of the deal, Donald Trump has proven completely feckless in running the government. We are just nine months into Trump's presidency and the federal government has already shut down, millions are bracing for the loss of food assistance and over one million New Yorkers are preparing for the loss of their health insurance. Donald Trump and his Congressional puppets have made it clear that they have no interest in serving the needs of the American people, just using their power to benefit themselves and their billionaire friends. New Yorkers, and voters across the country, will remember this when Congressional elections are held next year. I am glad that Governor Hochul is once again fighting back and protecting New Yorkers against the dangers of this administration.”

Assemblymember Ron Kim said, “This federal administration has already cut funding for vital programs that keep New Yorkers safe and healthy, and a shutdown of the government for any length of time will cause devastating harm to countless people. I stand with Governor Hochul in urging our leaders in Congress to pass a funding measure that ensures the government can continue providing its indispensable services to all Americans while protecting their health care and other essential benefits.”

Assemblymember Michaelle C. Solages said, “The Trump Administration is gutting services, and Republicans in Congress are cheering it on with a reckless shutdown. Healthcare, SNAP, and WIC are lifelines, not political toys. If they keep choosing Trump over their own constituents, families will pay the price. I stand with Governor Hochul in demanding these funds stay protected.”