Far-left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez agrees with Mayor Eric Adams that President Biden is failing to do enough to help New York City address the ongoing migrant crisis, but disagrees with Hizzoner that the problem requires cuts to essential municipal services.
“I agree that the federal government hasn’t done enough. We’ve been pressing the Biden administration to do so,” Ocasio-Cortez, 34, told HellGateNY in an interview following a recent turkey drive event at Hunts Point Produce Market in The Bronx.
The “Squad” member went on to question the need for additional federal spending on security at the US-Mexico border, saying previously allocated money hasn’t been spent.
“We’re over-allocating in some areas, but we are dramatically under-allocating in resourcing for things like what we’re seeing here—shelters and other services here in New York City, Chicago, and other municipalities as well,” said the self-described democratic socialist whose district includes parts of The Bronx and Queens. “In that respect, the mayor has a point.”
But Ocasio-Cortez was dubious that the costs of caring for asylum-seekers necessitated Adams’ plan to impose drastic reductions in funding to city services, saying further analysis was needed.
“I actually think we need to check the math on that,” she said.
“The idea that the migrant crisis would somehow require cuts to all of these across-the-board services does not quite add up to me. To make that claim is an invitation to investigate those numbers, and I think that’s what our next step would be.”
Adams was slammed last week after announcing a new, updated 2024 financial plan that would see the NYPD’s force slashed to 29,000 cops by the end of fiscal year 2025 — its lowest strength since 1993 — by cancelling graduating classes to bring in new recruits.
Few city departments emerge unscathed from Adams’ proposed 5% cuts to balance the budget — which include $32 million from the city’s sanitation department, $74 million from the FDNY and $547 million from the Department of Education.
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Adams is also getting rid of a number of street garbage cans in the outer boroughs, while 34 popular cultural institutions — including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Museum of Natural History — will see their funding reduced as the city’s Cultural Institutions Group budget will be chopped by nearly $6 million.
The City Council is expected to accept most or all of the cuts.
Adams has ordered another round of sweeping budget reductions to balance the Big Apple’s bulging $7.1 billion gap for next fiscal year — though the NYPD, FDNY and Department of Sanitation could be exempt.
“I think our responsibility is to care for the people of this city—the last thing we should be considering is slashing budgets for things like libraries and schools. We should be, if anything, looking at revenue raises: a pied-à-terre tax, vacancy taxes, things like that,” AOC told HellGateNY.
“But the idea that we’d be slashing some of the most essential services of the city, I don’t think is proper. We really should be pressing for much more scrutiny before a dollar of that is really taken away or touched.”
“Even basic things like trash collection in Corona, this is something that I hear a lot from our constituents,” the lawmaker added. “And it’s something that we try to get involved in, but it’s a little bit outside of my jurisdiction — these are city and municipal-level issues. But basic things, like sanitation, school resourcing, how many kids to a classroom. Those are the core issues that I hear about most often.”
Adams and the City Council have little ability to alter most taxes without support from Albany.
However, city lawmakers could directly raise property taxes, which would likely provoke a backlash from working-class and middle-class homeowners.
