City council members were furious after the Adams administration skipped on a hearing reviewing the impacts of Trump’s budget cuts on New York City on Monday.
Local reps accused Mayor Adams of abdicating his responsibility as mayor by ignoring the dangers Trump’s bill poses to the city, which include drastic cuts to health insurance and food stamps.
The Committees on Governmental Operations, General Welfare and Hospitals hosted a joint oversight hearing on the impact of President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” on Monday to review how the tax and spending bill severely cuts back on federal funding for programs including Medicaid and SNAP food benefits.
“We expect nothing less from our local government than to unify at a time like this, and to be able to come together and come up with solutions and strategies to make sure that these impacts hurt the least amount of people,” Councilmember Diana Ayala said at the hearing.
The bill could leave as many as 1.5 million New Yorkers statewide without health insurance, according to estimates from the governor, with an $13.5 billion cut in federal Medicaid funds. Under the bill, as many as 300,000 in the state could lose their food stamps.
The mayor has been accused of cozying up to Trump to get his federal corruption indictment dismissed, and in recent weeks his team has reportedly been in talks with the administration about a possible job, the Daily News previously reported.
Kayla Mamelak, a spokesperson for the mayor, said the administration submitted written testimony shortly before the hearing, and noted that the administration has sued Trump over funding clawbacks, including the seizure of $80 million in migrant crisis aid in February.
Mamelak lashed back at the Council, accusing them of not taking “meaningful action of their own.”
“Instead, they have chosen to stage political theater that does little to help New Yorkers and distracts from the real work that needs to be done,” she said in a statement. “Our full written testimony will be submitted for the record, outlining in detail the steps we are taking to safeguard the city’s future. But let’s be clear: hours of hearings staged for political gain, without real purpose or impact, are a waste of taxpayer dollars and do a disservice to our constituents.”
The 13-page testimony outlined the risks of the president’s bill to various city agencies.
“If we fail to plan, our planning will fail,” Hospitals committee chair Mercedes Narcisse said. “So we’re not planning right now. That’s what’s going on in our city of New York.”
The administration previously skipped a Trump-related hearing in April.
“Despite the gravity of this situation, the mayor and his administration is nowhere to be found,” Councilmember Lincoln Restler said at the hearing. “What is tragically clear is that the mayor and his team are not working to serve the people of New York City. They are shamelessly trying to endear themselves to Trump.”
