Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York announced Thursday that she would not exercise her authority to remove Mayor Eric Adams from office for now but would seek to impose strict new guardrails on his administration of New York City.

While Hochul’s actions, if enacted by state and city legislators, would fall far short of the removal some have demanded, they would curtail Adams’ independence as he battles accusations that he entered a corrupt agreement with the Trump administration to drop federal bribery charges against him.

In remarks at her Manhattan office, Hochul said she understood why New Yorkers were outraged by the actions of Adams, a fellow Democrat she has considered an ally for years. She framed her approach as part of a broader fight to protect the city from President Donald Trump’s influence.

“The Trump administration is already trying to use the legal jeopardy facing our mayor to squeeze and weaken our city,” Hochul said. “I call it the Trump revenge tour, and I have to stand in its way.”

The governor then laid out a suite of new oversight measures designed to empower other state and city officials to keep careful watch over Adams’ team at City Hall and potentially challenge Trump if the mayor would not.

The proposed changes included creating a new state deputy inspector general focused on New York City’s operations; establishing a fund for the city comptroller, public advocate and City Council speaker to hire outside counsel to sue the federal government if the mayor is unwilling to do so; and granting additional funds for the state’s comptroller to scrutinize city finances.

The governor said she also wanted a legal change to bar the mayor from firing the head of the city’s Department of Investigation without the approval of the state inspector general. The agency worked closely with the FBI and federal prosecutors to build their case against Adams.

Hochul said she had spoken to leaders of the City Council and the state Legislature and made clear she intended for the special provisions to expire at the end of 2025, when Adams’ first term expires, with the potential for renewal. She called them “a first start in restoring trust” but urged Adams to take his own steps to regain the city’s confidence.

In a statement, the mayor said that “there is no legal basis for limiting New Yorkers’ power by limiting the authority of my office” but indicated that he might not fight Hochul.

“I have told the governor, as we have done in the past, that I am willing to work with her to ensure faith in our government is strong,” Adams said. “I look forward to continuing those conversations.”