Blakeman Calls Hochul's $1 Billion Rebate Checks a Gimmick as Payouts Land Weeks Before Election

Gov. Kathy Hochul's $1 billion in energy rebate checks start going out Sept. 21, six weeks before Election Day, and Republican challenger Bruce Blakeman is already treating them as a target.

The checks are headed to 8.2 million eligible households. Individual filers earning under $150,000 get $100, and couples filing jointly can receive up to $200. Blakeman, the Nassau County executive, called the payments an election-year gimmick and promised to cut utility bills in half if elected.

Blakeman took the argument to Howard Beach, where he held up a jar of peanuts to show what he says New Yorkers are getting back while their electric bills stay high. He also accused Hochul of trying to buy votes. Hochul, speaking at a Brooklyn YMCA, said she will not make New Yorkers wait for help.

New York electricity prices have risen sharply in recent years, and Blakeman's campaign blames Hochul for the increases. She is also urging residents to enroll in the state's Energy Affordability Program, which her office says can save eligible households up to $500 a year. Hochul blames the fall timing of the checks on the late state budget, while the Citizens Budget Commission has urged the state to target aid to households with the greatest need and focus on longer-term affordability.

Blakeman's side is working the affordability theme on the highway, too. Drivers crossing from Rockland County into New Jersey on Interstate 287 now pass a billboard that plays off the familiar state-line greeting, a jab that New Yorkers are leaving for states with lower taxes. Donors put $2.3 million into Safe and Strong New York through Aug. 4, state records show, including $1 million in total from Madison Square Garden's James Dolan and another committee he supported.

Checks keep going out through December, well past Election Day on Nov. 3.