Democrat strategist warns Mamdani's ballooning NYC budget plan gives Republicans a ready-made midterm message
Democratic strategist Melissa DeRosa argued Tuesday that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani's massive budget proposal gives Republicans an easy line of attack heading into the midterm elections, casting the plan as a vivid example of tax-and-spend Democratic governance.
"[Mamdani] clearly is the perfect foil for every Republican around the country," DeRosa told "Fox & Friends First."
The socialist mayor's $127 billion budget agenda calls for higher taxes on wealthy residents and corporations, as well as a potential 9.5% property tax increase if state lawmakers decline to act.
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DeRosa contrasted Mamdani's plan to former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's $70 billion budget passed during his last year in office in 2013. Mamdani's proposal for fiscal year 2027 would add $9 billion to the current fiscal year.
"It's larger than the entire state of Florida, which has, I believe, around 30 million people, and New York City has 8.5 million people," DeRosa continued. "So it certainly does embody all of the worst stereotypes about Democrats. Tax and spend, reckless, lighting your money on fire, feeling resentful towards a government that doesn't give back to you."
Mamdani, who campaigned on the idea of taxing the rich, now wants to "tax literally everyone," DeRosa said, including raising property taxes if Albany doesn't agree to raise taxes on the city's wealthiest residents.
"It's a very bad situation here in New York."
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DeRosa made the case that New York City spending was inefficient, particularly when it comes to pensions and unions. The city spends more money per pupil, she said, with middling results to show for it.
"A lot of this is frankly rot within the system, within the pension system, within all of the perks that the unions are doling out to their members and that politicians sort of buy in exchange for their endorsements," she said.
Since Mamdani took office in January, critics have slammed the slow cleanup of garbage and snow and the mayor's handling of dangerously low temperatures that resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen residents.
"And now you're seeing a situation where… four national credit rating agencies are giving warnings of a bond downgrade because of the budget math that he is playing," DeRosa said.
"The math is not mathing. Every other family in America sits around the table and makes tough decisions except the New York City government."
Fox News' Digital's Amanda Macias contributed to this report.