The Big Apple’s social services budget has exploded 50% since the pandemic, even as the rest of New York repeatedly cut those costs, the state’s budget bigwig said Wednesday.

State budget director Blake Washington argued the city needs to “refine” its spending – joining a chorus of critics who argue Mayor Zohran Mamdani should be looking at cuts instead of pushing tax increases to balance the Big Apple’s budget.

“We all have big hearts and want to provide the biggest public safety net,” Washington said, before noting social services costs in the city have ballooned by half, while the rest of New York decreased by roughly a quarter.

“Your ability to help needs to have some guardrails,” he said during a breakfast event hosted by the Citizens Budget Commission.

Mamdani ruffled feathers across the state last week when he gave Gov. Kathy Hochul a stunning ultimatum – tax the rich or he’ll raise property taxes by nearly 10%.

The stark binary choice came as the Democratic socialist mayor unveiled a massive $127 billion preliminary budget proposal. He argued the hike was necessary to plug an estimated $5.4 billion hole in the budget.

“I do not want to raise property taxes,” he said, calling it a “last resort.”

“When faced with this crisis, the question is who should pay these taxes? I believe that it should be the wealthiest New Yorkers, the most profitable corporations. I believe that they can afford to pay a little bit more,” he said.

But the astonishing ask dumbfounded even many of Mamdani’s Democratic allies, with some decrying him using the middle class as bargaining chip.

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Some City Council members argued Mamdani should look at cuts, instead of threatening to raise property taxes if his soak the rich dreams don’t come to fruition.

“Rather than taking money out of people’s pockets, we should take a hard look at our spending and identify areas where we can reduce costs,” Councilman Oswald Felix (D-Bronx) said last week.

Washington’s comments on social services spending could open a potential avenue for such cuts.

Since the pandemic broke out, the Department of Social Services budget alone swelled by 40%, hitting an eye-watering $14.2 billion. 

The Department of Homeless Services budget has more than doubled since 2019, reaching a record $4.4 billion in the mayor’s budget proposal for the 2027 fiscal year.

The cost of housing vouchers has also drastically increased under the City Council’s expansion of the program — from a few hundred million to more than $1.8 billion, budget documents show. The CBC has said that the cityFHEPs program could end up potentially costing $3.2 billion annually. 

A rep for Washington couldn’t immediately provide additional information on the budget director’s 50% increase figure — but indicated the the city’s gluttonous social services spending could actually be even higher than he highlighted.

State data shows that public assistance caseloads from Dec. 2019 to Dec. 2025 increased 89% since 2019 across the five boroughs while it dropped 15% across the rest of the state — showing the same trend of city cases increasing, as state cases decreased.

Hochul just this month threw $1.5 billion in state dough toward the city earlier to help close the budget gap. 

The governor, who is seeking re-election in November, has stayed firm in her refusal to hike taxes this year.

Mamdani’s proposed property tax hike — the only one the mayor can propose without state approval, but which would still need the City Council’s OK — has been largely unpopular since it was announced.

Black homeowners have said it could force them out of the city, while experts warned it could result in both increased energy bills and rents.

“She will maintain a good relationship with the mayor. No matter what the outcome of this [budget negotiation] is, we will maintain a wonderful relationship with OMB and the mayor’s staff — no matter the outcome,” Washington said.