The New York Attorney General is the primary regulator of nonprofits in New York State.

Its Charities Bureau is responsible for overseeing charities and nonprofits across New York. It is charged with reviewing every transaction, every governance change, every annual financial report. It has the authority to investigate, audit, and enforce the law. 

But it has little to show for its work.

In the last five years, as New York’s population has decreased: 

• The number of nonprofits has increased, by 14,000.
• The amount of taxpayer money going to nonprofits has increased, by billions.
• But the Charities Bureau’s enforcement actions are basically nonexistent.

When there are red flags — missing filings, financial irregularities, misuse of funds — the Attorney General should take action. When citizens and lawmakers raise concerns, the Attorney General should investigate.

The tools are there. The enforcement and the will is not.

This lack of oversight has real consequences for everyday New Yorkers. Nearly every homeless shelter in New York is run by a nonprofit. Drug treatment programs, mental health treatment programs, care centers for children and the elderly — all run by nonprofits.

And yet, under Letitia James:

• Crime is up, 26%.
• Drug deaths are up, 63%.
• And the number of homeless and mentally ill on our streets is out of control.

What is our tax money accomplishing?

This is the Attorney General’s job. Prosecute crime. Enforce the law. Conduct proper oversight to ensure that the nonprofits we pay to help the vulnerable in society are honest and effective.

We need an Attorney General who is willing to ask these hard questions, do this hard work, conduct oversight in a fair, evenhanded, and nonpartisan way, and take action to make New York safer. We need an Attorney General who is focused on New York, not distracted by national politics. 

Let me be clear on two additional points: This is not about any one organization. And this is not about partisan politics.

This is about a systemic failure across New York. Under Letitia James, nonprofit oversight is inconsistent and ineffective. It’s basically nonexistent. The issue is not a lack of laws, it is a lack of enforcement. And the failure starts at the top.

I will turn that around. Because New Yorkers should have confidence that the nonprofits that receive taxpayer money are responsible and effective in bringing people off the streets and helping them get back on their feet.