NEW YORK — City Comptroller Brad Lander warned of stalled transit projects and mass deportations under the incoming Trump administration — painting a much bleaker picture than his rival, Mayor Eric Adams.
A day after the centrist Democratic mayor expressed optimism about working with Trump appointees, the far-left comptroller provided a bleak assessment of the impact newly elected President Donald Trump could have on the $112 billion budget, the dilapidated the city’s infrastructure, housing supply and civil liberties.
Lander, who is challenging Adams for re-election next year, hosted a roundtable Wednesday with business, government and labor leaders before releasing a report outlining the potential impact of a second Trump term on the nation’s largest city. His findings were based on the president-elect’s first term, Trump’s latest campaign promises and Project 2025, the conservative government blueprint that Trump disavowed during the campaign despite many ties to his advisers.
“A Trump presidency poses serious risks for New York City,” Lander said in announcing the report. “From the potential for billions of dollars in reducing education, housing, healthcare and transit funding to the potential for a tariff-driven inflation spike.”
Just a day earlier, Adams indicated he was looking forward to working with the incoming Trump team and was hesitant to oppose parts of Trump’s likely agenda.
The mayor’s recent stance toward Trump is not a departure from that of his fellow Democrats, but it is consistent with his long-standing stance toward the controversial Republican leader. He is loathe to criticize Trump — as he did outgoing President Joe Biden over his handling of the migrant crisis. He endorsed Kamala Harris, but only after a series of TV interviews that also highlighted her role in the border issue. He subsequently did little to campaign for her, and in the final weeks of her failing campaign, he made a point of disagreeing with Trump critics who said the former president harbors fascist tendencies.
Lander said Trump critics must find a balance between pursuing harmful federal policies and trying to work constructively to minimize the damage. He also called on Adams to assure New Yorkers that he is not joining forces with Trump in hopes of obtaining leniency in his federal criminal case.
“If Mayor Adams wants New Yorkers to trust that he will put their interests first – not his own – then he should announce today that he will neither seek nor accept a pardon from Donald Trump,” Lander said.
City Hall did not immediately respond to Lander’s statement.
Adams has spoken with the president-elect but said last week the two have not discussed his case.
As POLITICO reported, Trump has expressed sympathy for Adams’ turn in federal court. And there are ways the new president can provide help from his position in the White House.
Adams has said the city should approach the new administration in a spirit of collaboration.
“The election is over and now it’s about governing,” Adams said during a news conference after Trump’s victory. “It’s about not taking the attitude of, we’re not going to communicate with Washington, DC, quite the opposite.”
Still, the comptroller noted Wednesday that a top aide to First Deputy Mayor Maria Torres-Springer attended his roundtable and gave a presentation outlining six working groups that City Hall has convened to assess the potential impacts of the new administration.
“From the presentation [the aide] given, it seems to me as if the government’s assessment of the risks is broadly similar to our assessment of the risks,” Lander said. “That’s a good place to start.”
In addition to securing nearly $8 billion in federal funding that supports the city’s annual budget, Lander said Trump could suspend payments for major infrastructure projects like the next phase of the Gateway Tunnel project. That’s one reason, he said, why Gov. Kathy Hochul should reinstate the congestion charge before the transfer of power in January.
He raised the possibility that National Guard troops would arrive at migrant facilities in the city for the purpose of mass deportations — something Trump campaigned on — and warned that the president-elect would likely try to undermine abortion rights, worker protections and policies to undermine LGBTQ+ protection. community. And he warned that Trump’s promised tariffs could impact the cost of housing materials at a time of a shortage of residents in the city, and that deportations could undermine the construction workforce.
Due to the magnitude of the potential impacts, Lander said it is impossible to close all looming budget shortfalls with city and state funds alone. Instead, the city will have to prioritize the efforts that need to be stopped, Lander said. He cited abortion care and legal services as among his top concerns.
Noting that other areas in the country, including Red States, have also benefited from various federal funding streams that pay for housing and infrastructure, Lander said new coalitions could ensure New York continues to receive that cash flow. But the country is in a period of hyper-partisanship and Democrats have virtually no influence, making that a difficult goal.
“So there are some things we can do proactively,” Lander said. “There are places for strategic and perhaps unusual collaboration.”
