New Yorkers collected $2.6 billion in welfare cash payments last year, city data shows

New York City doled out more than $2.6 billion in cash assistance to city residents in 2025, a Fox News Digital review of city records showed. The money reached a record 864,999 people, a 30-year high not matched since before former Mayor Rudy Giuliani instituted major welfare reform in the early 2000s. The $2.6 billion figure represents a 71% increase from 2022's $1.57 billion, data showed. MAYORS WANT TO KEEP HANDING OUT FREE CASH AFTER FEDERAL FUNDS DRIED UP When coupled with payments from th