Political commentator Dick Morris sharply criticized New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Democratic leadership during an appearance Saturday on Newsmax TV's "The Count," arguing that fiscal priorities and immigration policies reflect broader governance failures.
Morris' remarks came in response to a report indicating New York City spent approximately $81,000 per person on homeless services last year, a figure that has drawn scrutiny amid ongoing budget pressures and rising costs of living.
"She's not using money, currency. She's using votes," Morris said of Hochul.
He argued that public spending decisions are being driven by political considerations rather than fiscal discipline.
According to Morris, the governor's approach is aimed at maintaining political support by expanding programs, even if taxpayers are resistant.
"Her goal here is to try to get enough people to cough up enough money so that she can continue to spend it on programs that they don't want," he said.
Morris broadened his criticism to national Democrats, linking the spending debate to immigration and security policies.
He described what he characterized as a contradiction between national security concerns and immigration enforcement efforts.
"We're reaching a historic moment here with the Democratic Party standing up and saying, in the middle of a war on terror against the chief terrorist country in the world, we're closing down Homeland Security," Morris said.
He also took aim at policies affecting illegal immigrants, claiming Democrats are prioritizing political considerations during an election cycle.
The former political advisor further argued that current messaging sends the wrong signal to both taxpayers and migrants.
"We're telling people, stay away, come home, and we'll tax you and put up with it and smile," he said.
Morris also called recent policy decisions evidence of deeper dysfunction.
"This Democratic Party has lost its collective mind. Just absolutely lost it," he said.
"And if you ever wanted a display of the Democrats' inability to govern, this is it."
Hochul's office has not directly responded to Morris' comments, but state officials have previously defended spending on homelessness services as necessary to address a growing crisis, citing increased shelter demand and legal obligations to provide housing.
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Solange Reyner ✉
Solange Reyner is a writer and editor for Newsmax. She has more than 15 years in the journalism industry reporting and covering news, sports and politics.
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