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Over 100 Environmental Protection Agency workers and supporters marched at Federal Plaza in Manhattan during their lunch breaks on Tuesday to protest the Trump administration’s cuts to staff and funding.
The march was part of a nationwide day of action for EPA employees, who create and uphold regulations to protect clean air and water, conduct scientific research, and provide technical support to local governments and community organizations.
EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin moved to cut the EPA’s scientific research arm and budget, as well as fire over 1,000 employees.
The protest wasn’t just attended by local workers but by former regional administrators like Lisa Garcia, who served during the Biden administration. She pointed out that the EPA also tracks air quality in real time.
“When the fires happened in Canada, New York City was dependent on air monitoring that the state and EPA were doing together,” she said. “If you dismantle funding for those resources and get rid of staff, you might not be able to have that real clear data that tells you, is the air safe?”
Read more here about how the Trump administration’s funding cuts could affect EPA-sponsored city projects, like cleaning up the Gowanus canal and enforcing rules around lead paint and asbestos.
Weather ⛅
Partly cloudy, with a very slight chance of rain. Highs around 50.
MTA 🚇
There’s no G train between Hoyt-Schermerhorn Streets and Church Ave from 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. through Friday. Find all the MTA’s planned changes and the latest delays here.
Alternate side parking 🚙
It’s in effect today, Mar. 26.
By the way…
If you have an old prom dress or tux lying around, donate it to the Queens Public Library — they’re collecting prom attire through Friday to give to teens.
Our Other Top Stories
If you’re fearing an impending layoff — or have already been a casualty of the Department of Government Efficiency’s aggressive cost-cutting — New York has a safety net: unemployment insurance benefits, often referred to simply as “unemployment.” Learn how to file for the benefits, and how to avoid common pitfalls, here.
In February, Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered City University of New York school Hunter College to remove a faculty job listing recruiting professors to teach Palestinian studies, and to “conduct a thorough review of the position to ensure that antisemitic theories are not promoted in the classroom.” CUNY has now re-posed the listings — but no longer including language calling for scholars concerned with “settler colonialism, genocide and apartheid.”
Congestion pricing is putting paratransit riders in a somewhat faster lane, MTA numbers show. Speeds are up 5% Access-A-Ride vehicles within Manhattan’s congestion relief zone south of 60th Street since January, compared to the same period in 2024. And it’s turning some former naysayers around on the tolls.
Manhattan federal prosecutors worked for weeks behind the scenes to push back on allegations from Mayor Eric Adams’ legal team that former U.S. Attorney Damian Williams had brought corruption charges against Adams for political reasons. The investigation of Adams started long before Williams took the helm and continued after he left in December, but an op-ed Wiliams published after resigning and the fact that he made his own website gave Adams’ lawyers ammunition — and caused a stir among the prosecutors left to handle the case.
Reporter’s Notebook
More Free Swim Lessons for Kids
Thousands of kids will receive free swim lessons after a $5.5 million boost by the city, Mayor Eric Adams announced Tuesday.
The funding will allow the Parks Department to teach 18,000 more kids how to safely enjoy the water through multiple swim programs, including Swim for Life, which brings second grade students to the pool during school hours.
Adams, who announced the money at the Flushing Aquatic Center in Queens, discussed the trauma of childhood drownings across the city as one incentive to teach people how to swim.
“We wanted to be proactive and deal with this issue in a real way and so we're going to make a big splash this year in ensuring that we increase the number of young people who learn how to swim and the earlier they start, the more adept they are to the water,” he said.
The Parks Department also offers Learn to Swim classes, including upcoming lessons during the spring break.
— Katie Honan
Wall Street Bonuses Soar, and Tax Revenue
Wall Street bonuses soared by 34% last year to a record $47.5 billion, according to a report released Wednesday by state comptroller Tom DiNapoli.
The jump, which resulted from a 90% surge in securities industry profits last year, will result in an additional $600 million in state tax revenue and $275 million for the city compared with the previous year.
The state comptroller’s estimate is a bit lower than one issued two weeks ago by the city comptroller because the two use slightly different methodologies.
The industry is unique in that bonuses, which averaged $245,000 last year, represent a little more than half of annual compensation. The increase is providing a boost to consumer spending at the same time that new data shows a gain of more than 100,000 jobs last year. Nevertheless, the city’s economy is teetering on a precipice as Trump Administration policies chill consumer sentiment, threaten tourism and could result in thousands of layoffs as research funding is slashed.
— Greg David
Things To Do
Here are some free and low-cost things to do around the city this week.
Wednesday, Mar. 26: As part of Lincoln Center’s American Songbook season, watch a documentary about Poly Styrene: the first woman of color in the UK to “front a successful rock band,” that follows her daughter Celeste. 7:30 p.m. (Admission is first come, first served — get there early if you can!)
Wednesday, Mar. 26: Attend an authors’ talk with the father-son duo behind the new graphic novel, “Whatever Happened to Frankie King.” (And check out the FAQ NYC episode about it here.) CUNY Graduate Center in Manhattan, 6:30 p.m.
Wednesday, Mar. 26: The NYPL is opening up the Joan Didion and John Gregory Dunne Archive to the public, including never-before-seen material penned by the famed writer and her husband. See it at the Stephen A. Schwarzman library.
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