NYC Mayor Eric Adams: ‘I am also angry’ at budget cuts

(NewsNation) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams addressed recently proposed budget cuts during a media briefing Tuesday, saying he’s frustrated by them too.

Adams told reporters city officials are currently making necessary adjustments to the budget for fiscal year 2024, adding it was “extremely tough” to do as the mayor recently announced “painful” 5% cuts in funding for city agencies.

“I know New Yorkers are angry when they hear about these efficiency cuts,” Adams said. “Well, New Yorkers, I want you to know I’m angry also. I am angry that instead of doing a budget that I want, a budget that pours into services for our seniors, cleaning our streets, continues to build housing, putting support into our young people — instead of doing that budget that I am excited about doing, we have to move in another direction and look at these cost savings to continue to have our city operate and to abide by the law.”

These proposed budget cuts still have to be approved by the city council. Local media reports that additional budget cuts could be coming, although WABC reports that the police, fire and sanitation departments would not be included in a second round.

With a decrease in funding, education advocates expect schools to lose more than $1 billion in resources, police recruitment will be frozen, and nonprofit organizations will also be affected, according to NewsNation local affiliate PIX11. The public library system has felt the impact, too, with libraries in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn being forced to close Sundays.

These funding cuts are due in part to costs the city has incurred because of the large number of migrants arriving in the area as well as slowing tax revenue growth, the ending of COVID stimulus funding and the settling of several union contracts.

In fiscal year 2023, New York City has spent about $1.45 billion on asylum seekers. 

“We were saddled with picking up the cost of the asylum seekers,” Adams said Tuesday. “Talk about defunding — our national government defunded New York City. It is unbelievable when you look at this cost and what we are experiencing.”

The mayor has criticized the federal government before for its handling of the migrant influx and for not providing the city with more aid, even as shelters reach capacity and resources start to dry up. Politico wrote last week that Adams said “D.C. has abandoned the city” during a town hall.

Last week, almost 3,000 migrants arrived in New York City, Adams said.

“We’re still getting a substantial number of people every week,” he said.