The Lie:
- Nassau County Comptroller Elaine Phillips inaccurately claims the cost-of-living crisis stems from “out of control” state spending. She misleads taxpayers by ignoring federal policies – the main drivers of inflation.
Why You May Believe the Lie:
- On March 19, 2026, Phillips sent an official email to residents with the alarmist headline: “Nassau County Subsidizes NYS Spending,” suggesting Nassau residents must “tighten their belts” due to “unchecked” state expenditures.
The Truth:
- Phillips’ narrative about the State’s “out of control spending,” conspicuously omits the severe financial impact of global and macroeconomic factors, including inflation driven by federal tariffs, historic federal deficits, and geopolitical supply-chain disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz.
- By ignoring inflation, her message mirrors the messaging of Nassau County Executive Bruce Blakeman’s gubernatorial campaign.
- The Nassau Comptroller is supposed to act as an independent fiscal watchdog, using her audit authority and oversight responsibilities to safeguard taxpayer dollars and improve services.
- For example, where was Phillips when Blakeman intentionally shifted opioid money away from its intended use?
- Where was Phillips when Blakeman chose an unqualified administrator, who is currently being investigated by the NYS Attorney General for alleged misuse of hospital funds, to be President of Nassau’s only public hospital?
- Why did Phillips abandon the measures she identified to fix the County’s broken tax assessment system?
- Instead of delivering rigorous, investigative oversight reports about the work she and her team are doing to protect County funds, Phillips is diverting public resources toward partisan, misleading emails that rely on distorted financial premises and fail to accurately reflect Nassau’s affordability crisis.
- Nassau County residents pay the second highest property taxes in New York, after Westchester County.
Action You Can Take:
- Share this post on your social media and email and discuss it with your friends.
- Review and share the Deceived Nation report, “Nassau Comptroller Distorts Financial Data, Mirrors Blakeman Campaign Messaging.”
- Call Comptroller Phillips’ office (at 516-571-2386) and demand that she stop confusing the public with misleading data, and instead focus on her oversight and audit duties.
Source & Additional Media:
March 19, 2026 email sent to Nassau County taxpayers by Comptroller Elaine Phillips.
Deceived Nation June 2026 report, “Nassau Comptroller Distorts Financial Data, Mirrors Blakeman Campaign Messaging“
April 10, 2026 Bureau of Labor Statistics, “Economic News Release: Consumer Price Index Summary.”
Statista, Monthly unemployment rate in the U.S. from January 2024 to March 2026. April 8, 2026.
Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, “OBBBA Would Cost More on a Dynamic Basis, Says CBO.” June 18, 2025.
Website: Tax-rates.org, New York Property Taxes By County – 2026.
Long Island Life and Politics, “Dems, Blakeman Point Fingers over High Gas Prices,” by Hank Russell, April 14, 2026.
Newsday, “NYS AG’s office investigating Nassau University Medical Center’s former leadership,” by Peter D’Auria and Candice Ferrette, June 3, 2026
