Long Island addiction-treatment providers said yesterday that a congressional spending bill's $880 billion in proposed cuts, largely to Medicaid, and more than $1 billion in proposed trims to the federal budget, could lead to closed substance abuse programs and reduced services.

Organizers from several Long Island organizations gathered Monday with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D- N.Y.) to call on Congress to reject the Medicaid cuts in the proposed spending bill, which has already passed in the Republican-controlled House and awaits consideration by the GOP-majority Senate.

"It would devastate us," said Ann-Marie Foster, president of the Phoenix House, which operates 300 beds at residential treatment centers at four Long Island locations, with about 95% of those served on Medicaid. "We would significantly have to reduce service and potentially close programs," Foster said.

John Asbury reports in NEWSDAY that Congress is still negotiating with President Donald Trump on his budget bill, which is expected to come up for a vote in September and calls for cutting $1 billion from SAMHSA, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which could freeze grants for addiction centers and Narcan overdose treatment, Schumer said.

"Devastating Medicaid cuts proposed by the Republican leadership in the House are taking direct aim on Long Island and at the worst possible moment," Schumer said. "Now the cuts would slash funding that goes directly to addiction treatment, mental health services and recovery support."

The $880 billion in cuts in the spending bill are to fund about $4.5 trillion in billionaire tax cuts, Schumer and other Democrats said yesterday.

Schumer said the potential cuts could affect 600,000 Long Islanders enrolled in the federal health care program.

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The state budget adopted last month fails to adequately account for threatened federal aid cuts estimated at more than $10 billion that could also more than double the number of New Yorkers without health insurance, according to a budget analysis by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli.

Michael Gormley reports in NEWSDAY that the $254 billion budget adopted in May, a month late, increases spending by 5.2% and continues a trend of significant growth since 2019, DiNapoli said yesterday.

"The stakes are high for New York if the cuts being discussed in Washington occur," DiNapoli said Monday. "The state needs to do what it can to stabilize finances, build reserve funds, focus on efficient service delivery and develop a strategy for how to contend with federal changes."

DiNapoli also said that while Gov. Kathy Hochul and the State Legislature took some measures to prepare for federal aid cuts planned by President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress, "the state needs to do what it can to prepare in a transparent manner before our options are even more limited."

Hochul’s budget spokesman, Tim Ruffinen, said the budget is sound and the state is prepared to face deep cuts from Washington. Those cuts would have to be approved by the U.S. Senate and withstand expected court challenges.

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The grounds of the East Hampton Ladies Village Improvement Society will be the location for the organization’s annual fair this coming Saturday, June 14, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Among the activities will be a carousel, roving magician, pony rides, silent auction, a plant sale, vintage clothing and other vendors, food trucks and raffles.

The LVIS grounds are at 95 Main Street in East Hampton Village.

Admission is free.

Go to lvis.org for information.

East Hampton Ladies Village Improvement Society is celebrating its 130th anniversary!

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In recent months, the New York State Capitol has been a stage for Gov. Kathy Hochul to sell an agenda she believes will win her re-election next year. It has also been a key backdrop in the drama surrounding who will challenge her. Benjamin Oreskes and Grace Ashford report in THE NY TIMES that the latest to do so is Representative Elise Stefanik, a powerful Trump loyalist who, during a rare appearance in Albany yesterday, sounded less interested in doing the president’s bidding and more intent on carving her own political path.

She blasted Ms. Hochul as the “worst governor in America” whose “pro-criminal agenda” made New Yorkers less safe by “putting violent criminals and illegals first and law abiding New Yorkers last.”

Ms. Stefanik, a six-term congresswoman, castigated the legislative actions of New York Democrats as “anti-worker, anti-family, anti-farm, anti-small business, anti-manufacturing and anti-law enforcement.”

The remarks appeared to preview Ms. Stefanik’s campaign themes if she runs. But they also misrepresented Ms. Hochul’s views in claiming that Democrats had rejected common-sense reforms to the bail laws and refused to lower taxes. Ms. Hochul has repeatedly strengthened the state’s bail laws, expending considerable political capital to do so. And while this year’s state budget increased taxes on businesses with payrolls of $10 million or more a year to fund public transit infrastructure, it cut taxes for smaller businesses and households making less than $323,000. The budget also drastically expanded the state’s child tax credit.

Still only 40 years old, Ms. Stefanik, who represents a district that stretches from just north of Albany to the Canadian border, has long been a rising star in the Republican Party.

Elected at just 30 years old as a moderate, she transformed herself after President Trump won in 2016 and has served as one of MAGA’s most ardent defenders.

Ms. Stefanik has not publicly declared her intention to run for governor, but has said she is “honored” to be considered for the role and will make a decision in the coming months.

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Long Island addiction-treatment providers said yesterday that a congressional spending bill's $880 billion in proposed cuts, largely to Medicaid, and more than $1 billion in proposed trims to the federal budget, could lead to closed substance abuse programs and reduced services. John Asbury reports in NEWSDAY that organizers from several Long Island organizations gathered Monday with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D- N.Y.) to call on Congress to reject the Medicaid cuts in the proposed spending bill, which has already passed in the Republican-controlled House and awaits consideration by the GOP-majority Senate.

Schumer said the potential cuts could affect 600,000 Long Islanders enrolled in the federal health care program.

U.S. Rep Andrew Garbarino (R-Bayport) said in a statement Monday that the spending bill before the Senate "protects Medicaid services for vulnerable populations — it doesn’t cut them. As for the President’s budget proposal, it’s just that — a proposal. ... Sen. Schumer is deliberately spreading falsehoods to scare people into thinking they’re losing their health care. It’s dishonest, it’s dangerous, and it’s exactly what’s broken in Washington."

Steve Chassman, executive director of the Long Island Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence (LICADD), asked yesterday, "When people are sick, do they have the right to get well? There are 26 million Americans right now living in long-term recovery from substance use disorders. There are too many Long Islanders, New Yorkers and Americans who have incurred great loss. These proposed cuts will sling us back to where we were 5, 10,15 years ago."

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The Southampton History Museum’s Carriage House Thrift Shop will reopen for the 2025 season this coming Saturday, June 14.

Operating every Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., through October 4, the shop offers visitors and residents a chance to discover unique treasures while directly supporting local history education. Located on the grounds of the Rogers Mansion Museum Complex at 17 Meeting House Lane, Southampton, the seasonal shop has a variety of art, vintage jewelry, books, postcards, and treasures of all kinds. New items arrive every week. All proceeds from the thrift shop directly support the museum’s educational programs, which bring Southampton’s history to life for students and community members.

Go to southamptonhistorymuseum.org for more information.

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The Southold Town Board is seeking public comment at its 7 p.m. meeting this evening on its framework for awarding subsidies for affordable housing developers through its new Community Housing Fund.

Beth Young reports in EAST END BEACON that the fund’s coffers are filled through a new half-percent real estate transfer tax, paid by buyers of property in the Town of Southold. Southold is currently working on the best ways to use this funding, guided by a Community Housing Plan adopted in 2023. The funds could be used for projects like the proposed 12-unit redevelopment of the former Capital One bank branch on Love Lane in Mattituck.

Town Planner Mara Cerezo has been working since last year on developing a set of guidelines for how the subsidies will be awarded, with a base subsidy augmented by several other features of the project.

The proposal would provide base subsidies of $55,000 per unit. Bonus subsidies would be awarded based on a percentage of the base subsidy for several different elements, including deeper affordability, adaptive reuse of existing buildings, septic upgrades, a diversity of unit size, home ownership, environmental sustainability and proximity to public transit.

The additional subsidy for adaptive reuse — the redevelopment of existing buildings — would be the largest, at 50 percent or $27,500 per unit.

This subsidy for housing developers is just one component of the Community Housing Plan. It can also be used for down payment assistance, maintenance of existing affordable housing stock and construction of accessory dwelling units.

Southold Town Board members said at their May 28 work session that the subsidy framework could be updated in the future if it isn’t working as currently designed.