Julie Menin: Policy Positions
Affordability and Cost of Living
Menin has framed affordability as the central challenge facing New York City and a defining priority of her speakership . She has advocated for lowering healthcare costs through the creation of an Office of Healthcare Accountability, which she championed as legislation during her first two Council terms . In the 2027 budget negotiations, she secured expanded eligibility for the Fair Fares transit discount program, raising the income threshold to 200 percent of the federal poverty level and extending half-price MetroCard access to an estimated 340,000 additional New Yorkers . She has also pushed for the creation of universal college savings accounts, securing $53 million in budget funding to provide $1,000 to every public school kindergartner through the NYC Kids Rise program .
Childcare and Early Education
Universal childcare has been among Menin's most consistent legislative priorities . During her first Council term, she sponsored a package of three childcare bills that were signed into law, creating a citywide directory of childcare programs, establishing a Child Care Advisory Board, and launching an online portal for childcare subsidy information . As Speaker, she created a standalone Subcommittee on Early Childhood Education within the Council and advanced legislation requiring the Department of Education to report quarterly on invoice payments to childcare providers . She has described childcare as both a family issue and an economic imperative, arguing that expanding access is essential to supporting working families and strengthening the city's labor force .
Small Business Support
Menin's approach to small business policy has been shaped by her own experience as a small business owner whose restaurant was destroyed in the September 11 attacks and by her tenure as Commissioner of Consumer Affairs . She has consistently advocated for reducing regulatory burdens, fines, and bureaucratic obstacles facing small businesses . As Commissioner, she implemented 25 reforms to lower penalties on businesses where there was no consumer harm and created a Small Business Relief Package . As Speaker, she introduced legislation creating a regulatory review commission and supported the Red Tape Relief Act, which would require interagency coordination of inspections modeled after the Bloomberg-era New Business Acceleration Team .
Healthcare
Menin sponsored the Healthcare Accountability Act, which created a first-in-the-nation Office of Healthcare Accountability within city government, tasked with reining in excessive hospital and healthcare pricing . She has testified before the state legislature calling for partnerships between the city and state to lower healthcare costs that burden employers, families, and the city budget . She also co-sponsored resolutions calling on New York State to increase Medicaid reimbursement for doula care and to address maternal mortality disparities .
Housing
Menin has supported expanding affordable housing production and has positioned the Council as a proactive partner in land-use approvals for housing development . In the 2027 budget deal, she negotiated $175 million in new rental assistance funding through an expansion of the CityFHEPS housing voucher program, while also securing the Mamdani administration's agreement to drop litigation challenging the Council's 2023 laws expanding the program . She has endorsed the City of Yes for Housing Opportunity zoning initiative and announced plans to build new libraries that would include 100 percent affordable housing . She has, however, resisted Mayor Mamdani's proposal to tap the city's rainy day fund to address budget shortfalls, arguing for fiscal discipline over depleting reserves .
Public Safety
Menin has described herself as committed to both criminal justice reform and maintaining public safety, rejecting what she has characterized as false dichotomies between the two goals . She has positioned the Council as a check on policies that might compromise safety while supporting reforms to the justice system. Her committee assignments as Speaker placed allies in key public safety and education committee chairmanships .
Immigration
Menin has been a vocal advocate for immigrant protections, particularly in the context of federal immigration enforcement under the second Trump administration . When City Council employee Rafael Rubio was detained by ICE at a routine asylum appointment in January 2026, Menin convened an emergency press conference and led sustained advocacy for his release over a five-month period . She has pushed for proactive investment in 2030 Census planning and opposed the inclusion of a citizenship question, drawing on her experience as the city's 2020 Census Director .
Combating Hate and Religious Freedom
As the first Jewish Speaker, Menin has made combating antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of hate a legislative priority . She introduced a five-point action plan to combat antisemitism and strengthen community safety in January 2026, including legislation establishing security perimeters around houses of worship and schools . She held an interfaith rally with Council Member Yusef Salaam and convened a roundtable of Muslim community leaders to discuss Islamophobia and access to halal food . She has stated that the city must protect both the First Amendment right to peaceful protest and the right of New Yorkers to worship without harassment .
Fiscal Policy
Menin has positioned herself as a fiscal moderate, emphasizing the need for responsible budgeting, sustainable savings, and avoidance of tax increases on property owners . She opposed Mayor Mamdani's proposal to draw down nearly $1 billion from the city's rainy day fund, calling instead for long-term efficiencies . During budget negotiations, the Council's alternative proposal projected nearly $2 billion more in tax revenue than the Mayor's Office of Management and Budget, enabling spending priorities without tax increases or reserve drawdowns . She has, however, faced criticism from progressive quarters for resisting the mayor's proposed tax increases on the wealthiest New Yorkers .