NEW YORK CITY (NewsNation) — New York City Mayor Eric Adams has directed every city agency to trim overtime costs, implementing a five percent cut in spending as a way to pay for the influx of migrants arriving from the southern border.
That means overtime pay cuts to firefighters, sanitation workers and, at the top of the list, the New York Police Department.
“I have to be honest with New Yorkers with what we’re about to experience: A financial tsunami that I don’t think this city has ever experienced,” Adams said.
Adams has long warned city services would be affected due to the ongoing migrant crisis, saying that’s when residents will get a real sense of just how bad the situation is.
But crime in the Big Apple is higher now than it was before the pandemic, sparking concerns about moving funds away from law enforcement.
Some critics say cutting funds from police is an unreasonable request because officers work overtime to make up for the department’s shortage. Also, cost-cutting is jeopardizing safety on the streets and in the city’s subways.
Down almost 1,100 police officers, the NYPD continues to lose officers to retirement or relocation to other departments.
“I love seeing the cops. They are for our protection,” Graya Glover, a Brooklyn subway rider, said. “There are a lot of things going on in the subway, a lot of mental people on the subway.”
But the continuous arrival of migrants is posing a financial strain on the city. The cost of housing, feeding and educating migrants is expected to approach $12 billion if the federal and state government doesn’t send significant funding to help offset the city’s costs, the mayor said.
“This issue will destroy New York City,” Adams said last week.
The fire, sanitation and corrections departments have also been told to cut overtime costs. The city’s public school system is also cutting programs.
“Everything is on the table. Come on, think about this for a second. We’re talking $12 billion. Fire, sanitation, education, police, libraries, everything to run this city,” Adams said.
Every city agency has been ordered to submit a budget proposal reflecting an up to 15 percent cut in spending. The agencies must also now issue monthly reports so that the city can track overtime spending.