Comptroller Brad Lander on Wednesday warned that a Donald Trump presidency would pose “grave risks” to New York City — including nearly $8 billion in federal funding thrown into jeopardy.
Lander gave the bleak assessment at a press conference announcing a report on the impacts of the 2024 elections — saying that if Trump cuts federal funding, key infrastructure projects, schools and housing could be imperiled.
“The Trump presidency poses grave risks to New York City, from the potential for defunding education, housing, healthcare, transit to the tune of billions of dollars, to the potential for an inflation spike caused by tariffs that could have devastating impacts on New York City economies,” Lander said, highlighting congestion pricing as a measure the state should put in place before the Trump administration makes that impossible.
The city’s fiscal year 2025 budget includes $7.92 billion in federal grants, or around 7% of the total budget. That funding bankrolls services like education, housing, child care and social services.
The sweeping report outlined numerous other areas of concern for the city, including the public housing budget, hospital funding, childcare, transit and resiliency projects, and the safety of immigrants and LGBTQ+ New Yorkers.
Mayor Adams has been publicly more optimistic about the incoming Trump administration, telling reporters he hopes to work with the administration to address key issues like infrastructure and public safety in the city.
Lander, who is running against Adams in the mayoral race, on Wednesday called on him to reassure New Yorkers that he’s not looking for Trump’s help in beating his federal corruption case.
“If Mayor Adams wants New York to have confidence that he has their interests top of mind and not his own, then he should announce today that he will not seek and would not accept a pardon for Donald Trump,” the comptroller said.
“… What the mayor is doing and saying and the confidence that New Yorkers have in it at the moment like this is critical, and New Yorkers should not have to worry about what is guiding their mayor’s support for this administration.”
Kayla Mamelak, a spokesperson for the mayor, pointed out that Adams last week hosted a public briefing with top administration officials to reassure city-dwellers that they “had been planning for every possible scenario” for months and would continue to prepare in the wake of Trump’s victory.
“Members of our team were at Comptroller Lander’s gathering today in the spirit of partnership and while the comptroller seems more intent on taking cheap political shots, New Yorkers should rest easy knowing their team at City Hall has been on the ball for months, fully ready to fight for New York values and protect what matters most,” Mamelak said.
Before the report’s release, Lander hosted a roundtable discussion on Wednesday that convened dozens of leaders in business, faith-based organizations, labor and city government, Lander said.
The discussion included a presentation by a top aide to First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer that described six working groups under the mayor’s office who are examining the possible impacts of the Trump administration on different areas, including immigration, health care and human services.
“It sounds to me like the [Adams] administration’s assessment of the risks is pretty broadly comparable to our assessment of the risks,” Lander said. “That’s a good place to start.”