Bloomberg Talks NYC Comptroller Mark Levine Talks Affordability
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Feb 9, 2026 
Mark Levine, New York City Comptroller overseeing the city's finances and audits. He lays out a $12.6B budget gap and why rising expenses outpace revenue. He discusses booming voucher costs, the impact of Wall Street bonuses on tax receipts, and the need for statewide help, housing supply and regional transit to ease affordability.
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Expenses, Not Revenues, Drive The Gap
- New York City faces a large budget gap driven more by rapidly growing expenses than weak revenues.
- Comptroller Mark Levine warns certain programs have expanded faster than budgeted, creating multi-billion dollar pressure.
Pursue Efficiencies And State Support
- Solve the gap by finding efficiencies, seeking state help, and revising programs that have outpaced budgets.
- Levine says he'll press Albany for assistance and pursue government efficiencies.
Local Voucher Program Is Exploding
- The local housing voucher program CitiFeps is expanding at about 4% a month and will double every 18 months.
- Levine projects the program could cost over $3 billion next year and blow a hole in the budget.