NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani Cancels NYPD Expansion And Proposes Budget Cuts Amid Fiscal Crisis

(RightwingJournal.com) – New York City’s socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani is gutting planned police expansion while pushing tax hikes on the wealthy, signaling a dangerous shift in priorities that puts ideology over public safety.

Story Snapshot

Mamdani cancels predecessor’s plan to hire 5,000 additional NYPD officers, keeping force at 35,000 instead of expanding to 40,000
Preliminary budget proposes $22 million cut from NYPD’s $6.4 billion budget amid inherited $12 billion deficit
Socialist mayor frames choice as taxing the rich versus cutting services, prioritizing progressive agenda over law enforcement
Decision reverses Eric Adams’ public safety expansion hours after Mamdani took office following Adams’ corruption indictment

Socialist Mayor Cancels Police Expansion Within Hours of Taking Office

Zohran Mamdani wasted no time dismantling his predecessor’s public safety plans. Within hours of his inauguration in early 2026, the democratic socialist canceled former Mayor Eric Adams’ initiative to add 5,000 officers to the NYPD over three years. Adams had proposed a phased approach starting with 300 officers in July 2026, scaling to 2,500 by July 2027, and reaching 5,000 by July 2028. The plan aimed to boost the force from approximately 35,000 to 40,000 officers for enhanced street deployment addressing post-COVID crime concerns.

Budget Cuts Target Law Enforcement Amid Fiscal Crisis

Mamdani’s preliminary FY 2027 budget maintains the NYPD near its current $6.4 billion allocation but proposes a $22 million reduction while keeping officer levels at roughly 35,000. The mayor inherited a staggering $12 billion budget deficit from the Adams administration, which he claims to have reduced to $5.4 billion. Rather than pursue across-the-board cuts, Mamdani framed the budget battle as a choice between two paths: taxing wealthy New Yorkers or raising property taxes and raiding city reserves. This framing reveals his priorities—using fiscal challenges to advance progressive taxation schemes rather than maintaining vital public safety resources.

Progressive Agenda Takes Priority Over Crime Fighting

The timing of Mamdani’s budget decisions raises serious concerns about his commitment to law and order. On January 28, 2026, he held a press conference at the Chabad Lubavitch incident site alongside NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, projecting concern for public safety. Yet his budget simultaneously eliminates planned police expansion and leaves his own alternative safety plans unfunded, according to reports. This contradiction exposes the hollowness of his public safety rhetoric. While emphasizing taxes on the wealthy and interventions in landlord bankruptcies, Mamdani’s budget signals a fundamental shift away from traditional law enforcement toward untested progressive alternatives that have failed in other cities.

Political Implications for New Yorkers Under Socialist Leadership

Mamdani’s decisions echo the disastrous “defund the police” movement that swept progressive cities after 2020, though his approach targets planned additions rather than baseline funding. Still, the effect is the same—fewer officers on the streets when New Yorkers need protection. The mayor’s push for higher taxes on successful residents and businesses risks driving productive citizens out of the city, eroding the tax base further. His executive authority allows him to cancel prior orders and propose budgets, though final approval rests with the City Council and state legislature for tax increases. This creates tension with state officials who may resist his radical revenue schemes, leaving the city’s fiscal future uncertain.

New Yorkers watching this unfold should recognize the pattern: socialist policies consistently prioritize ideology over results. Mamdani succeeded Adams amid the latter’s September 26, 2024 federal corruption indictment, positioning himself as a reformer. Yet his immediate actions reveal his true priorities—not cleaning up corruption or protecting citizens, but advancing a progressive agenda that treats law enforcement as an obstacle rather than a necessity. With crime remaining a legitimate concern and the NYPD already stretched thin, canceling planned expansion while pursuing wealth redistribution schemes demonstrates a dangerous disconnect from the reality everyday New Yorkers face on their streets.