Mamdani CLOSES budget gap, INVESTS $122 million in public schools! Lindsey Granger | RISING

Added: 2026-05-23

[00:00:04]So, there's a narrative in politics right now that government can't work, that elected officials overpromise, underdel, and spend more time blaming the other side than actually improving people's lives. But in New York City, Mayor Zan Mani is making a very different argument, and he's backing it up with results. Just months into office, Mani says his administration inherited a staggering 12 billion budget deficit. And instead of slashing social services, laying people off, or draining the city's emergency reserves, he announced a new budget this week that closes that gap while still investing in public schools, parks, libraries, housing, and public safety. He posted this on X, quote, "When we came into office, we uncovered a 12 billion budget deficit. Today, I'm proud to say we brought it down to zero. We didn't close the gap on the backs of working people.

[00:00:54]We closed it while funding parks, libraries, safer streets, and making historic investments in public housing.

[00:01:01]Now, whether you agree with all of his politics or not, you have to acknowledge something important. He's governing with intention, and he's following through on the affordability message that got him elected.

[00:01:12]We tax the rich.

[00:01:14]That tax alone will raise half a billion dollars per year. And that's not all.

[00:01:18]Thanks to Governor Hokll and our partners in Albany, we finally got a better deal for New York City. Now, that partnership with Governor Kathy Hokll helped secure $7.6 billion in state aid.

[00:01:28]The administration also says it found savings by cutting unnecessary overtime costs and is now taxing luxury homes. We talked about that a lot, that are sitting vacant for most of the year. And while critics love throwing around the phrase quote democratic socialism like it's an automatically or automatically a warning sign, Mandani's approach has actually been deeply practical. invest in public services, infrastructure, housing, schools, and workers. This new budget includes $122 million for public schools in New York City and 1,000 additional teachers. It also includes universal child care expansion, something millions of working parents would tell you is not a luxury, it's survival.

[00:02:12]>> We began with a promise, universal child care.

[00:02:17]>> And by day eight, WE DELIVERED IT.

[00:02:23]THANKS TO HISTORIC $1.2 billion partnership with Governor Kathy Hokll and the organizing of more than 100,000 New Yorkers during the campaign, we will not only make 3K truly universal. We will deliver free child care for 2-year-olds for the first time in New York City history.

[00:02:42]>> And beyond the headlines, there are tangible quality of life issues his administration says it's tackled, too.

[00:02:48]filling more than 100,000 potholes, expanding worker protections, and securing millions of dollars in tenant settlements to hold slum landlords accountable. At a time when Americans are struggling with affordability, rising costs, and global instability from the Iran war impacting almost everything in everyday life, people are looking for leadership that feels focused on them. You can debate ideology all day long, but if critics think there's a better way to make life more affordable, strengthen public services, and deliver measurable results, spare us all the constant criticism of Mandani and offer up some solutions.

[00:03:28]Well, I think there's a lot that in the headlines of this reads very well for Zoran Mandami, but when you actually dive down into what he is proposing in this budget, it's all gimmicks. It's all funding gimmicks. It's all oneshots or short-term funding. That 1.2 billion that he was talking about just for 3K and being able and don't get me wrong, child care services, that is absolutely something that can be expanded, that is not something that people are going to criticize. That's only two years of funding for a program that they are trying to get off the ground. And it does, this budget does not look forward.

[00:04:00]It doesn't talk about the implications of funding down the road when they have to try and re-up things. There's also multiple oneshots in here where it's only one year of funding from the state in order to bring through these big beautiful programs that he's trying to tout as success for New Yorkers. While he may be able to make shortterm expansions, especially on the 2K front, they're going to bring in, you know, somewhere between 30 and 60,000 students and try to up that more every year. But if you don't have the long-term funding and the actual fiscal discipline to make that happen other than oneoff funding from the state and including the you know the pietare uh second home taxing of the wealthy in New York City that money is helpful but it is not giving New York the long-term structural strength it needs not only to continue these programs that he is now going to give people access to but isn't considering long term how to keep them going. My question is how does he keep it going if in this instance right now we're looking at a budget that is one to two years of maybe all of this fanciful funding he has for all these programs he wants to start and expand.

[00:05:04]>> Well, New York City I think >> more than other pockets of New York because we're both from New York and not from New York City provides a lot of money to the state of New York as a concentrated location. Right. Right. So that that's a real thing. So when they ask for more money, I mean, they provide for the concentration, a large majority, I would say, of the money that New York makes. Like a lot of the business owners live there and a lot of the people own and create wealth living there, but don't even stay in these homes. So if Mandani's proposal actually works on taxing 5% for people that don't even come to these houses that they own for leisure or for second homes that are more than $5 million. that brings half a billion dollars consistently because people, no matter what people say about California or New York, people stay there and want to continue to live there. One, because New York is easy to travel to if you're going certain places in Europe. California because if you're going to certain places in Asia, everybody understands why people want to be on either coast. So, when everyone says they're going to move to Florida, fine, but find a flight directly to uh you I don't know, Taiwan or wherever you're trying to go from Florida, it's harder than it just going from California. Everyone knows that. I've had to connect, you know, we all. So, I think when you talk about business people and the decisions that they're making, everyone's not going to flee because mom Donnie tried to bully one billionaire. And yes, I don't think Mad Donnie should have stood in front of his residency or home or second home and done any of that. I said that on the show before, but I do think if Mam Donnie is coming up with real plans, we're hearing him say, "I want to hire a thousand teachers. I want 122 million to go into this budget." At the same time, we hear from the federal leadership of like the first lady, we want to bring AI teachers and have this weird >> support teachers. That is >> I KNOW A WEIRD A WEIRD CHAT >> AND ALSO THE THOUSAND TEACHERS. Why not increase pay for current teachers right now? I understand wanting more educators and absolutely we need to increase education across the country. There is a ton of reporting this week about how far behind students have fallen since the era and so yes absolutely not.

[00:06:54]>> Sometimes the class sizes is overpacked to teach each kid. So if there's 50 kid per one teacher, that's a little hard to teach per kid. If you have a thousand more teachers, maybe you can get 25 per classroom and they can learn properly.

[00:07:03]>> I'm not disagreeing with that, but teachers are already underpaid and you don't have the long-term funding for these thousand teachers. So if you have short-term funding right now that gives you the opportunity, why not shore up the teachers you have and hire enough that you're not going to budget yourself out of having to pull those teachers out of the classroom when you run out of money down the road? Yes. half a billion dollars a year in increased tax money coming into New York from people's second residences. That's already been earmarked for other things by Mandami.

[00:07:30]Those are getting spent other ways.

[00:07:31]That's not getting spent for the thousand teachers in the classroom. My biggest concern is he's making these like middle school promises about providing all of these free fun things except he doesn't actually have the structural funding to make these programs viable. I'm all here for solutions. I'm all here for increasing educational opportunities. I'm here that if an AI robot works better for a student in a classroom, they should have access to that the same way they could have access to a teacher because some kids do better in homeschooling. Some kids do better online schooling. Some kids do better in private tutors or in Montasauri style schools. Every child's educational opportunity should fit them as a student. But Mandami here is playing games for the sake of headlines saying like, look, I want to add a thousand teachers, but I can't pay them more than maybe this year if I'm lucky.

[00:08:15]That is bad for the city because what happens if you have to pull those teachers out of the classroom? And Hokll here is also playing budget games by uh delaying mandates from the state of New York, from Albany on New York City to be able to kick the can down the road on funding because unfunded mandates cost municipalities including New York City a ton of money across the state. The shortterm the short-term little band-aid over the bullet hole here won't work long term for New York City. So both Democrats and Republicans have restructured budgets as you know to spread them out over a longer time so that the city's paying less all at once and that's what mom Donnie is suggesting not not paying or not right over time to spread them out for this year. So >> the pension system in New York is a disaster by the way and absolutely.

[00:08:58]>> So he's already he's already looking at ways to try to fix that for this year.

[00:09:02]So again if there is a better solution because fixing like the 100,000 potholes that requires taxpayer money. Why is that being criticized? like the man is actually doing something. When we're seeing grocery prices rise and he's suggesting grocery stores that are government funded so that he can provide lower prices. If you don't agree with that, what's the alternative solution?

[00:09:20]Because on the federal level, things are more expensive because of one tariffs because of two the war. Like literally, he's trying to bring costs down simultaneously while the federal government is actively bringing costs up. So, if there are, which I know there are several Republicans in New York and Long Island, all over the place, let me hear you. be as loud as mom Donnie is with a better idea and better solution.

[00:09:41]Otherwise, sit back and allow his plan to either fail or work because he's providing a plan.

[00:09:46]>> Well, here's the thing. Socialism is great until you run out of everybody else's money. So, the idea that he's lowering costs by bringing in governmentr run grocery stores, not only is that going to limit choice in what people can get from the grocery stores, but it will drive THE PRIVATE STORES WILL STILL BE THERE. It will it will take out smaller bodeas that are community grocerers for a lot of these lower inome communities across New York because they will be pushed out by the government grocery store. So this argument that somehow he's going to lower cost and who has a better idea.

[00:10:14]Listen, there are plenty of Republicans with ideas, but they haven't managed to stand up a candidate in New York City the way that LA has with Spencer Pratt.

[00:10:20]Somebody who's unapologetic and unabashed or a Rick Caruso. I don't understand why that's a problem. You're saying here, "Hey, if you've got a better idea, stand up." Spencer Pratt doesn't >> I don't think Spencer Pratt's a good example. We're gonna talk about we're gonna talk about that.

[00:10:32]>> But that's what I'm saying. Like you want people to stand up and then when they do you're you're like oh my god not Spencer Pratt. Come on. You can't be the both way.

[00:10:38]>> Spencer Pratt is not standing up by standing in front of other people's homes and saying I live in a house I don't even live in. I mean he lives in Beverly Hills Hotel.

[00:10:44]>> He lives in a trailer because Karen Bass burned his home down. What are you talking about?

[00:10:47]>> She didn't take a match and burn his home down. SHE DOESN'T CAUSE NATURAL DIS. She doesn't cause natural disasters. It makes the We're going to talk about this in a whole other car.

[00:10:55]>> That's ridiculous. It's ridiculous.

[00:10:57]>> It's going to be a fun Friday.

[00:10:59]>> All right. President Trump teasing a potential arm sale to Taiwan just a day after a stark warning from President Xi.

[00:11:05]We're going to be right back to talk about China.