Can Trump legally stop federal funding to New York City if Mamdani wins?

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Hours earlier polls opened successful the heated New York mayoral race connected Monday, United States President Donald Trump backed Andrew Cuomo and threatened to propulsion national funds if Democrat Zohran Mamdani won.

He had earlier hinted astatine this during his 60 Minutes interview connected CBS News which aired connected Sunday, erstwhile helium called Mamdani a “communist” and said if helium wins, it would beryllium hard “to springiness a batch of wealth to New York”.

Who is starring the polls successful the New York mayoral election?

According to the latest RealClearPolitics average, Mamdani was ahead with 46.1 percent of the vote, holding a 14.3-point vantage implicit autarkic Cuomo, astatine 31.8 percent, and a 29.8-point pb implicit Republican Curtis Sliwa, astatine 16.3 percent, arsenic polling booths opened astatine 6am section clip (11:00 GMT) connected Tuesday.

What has Trump threatened?

In a station connected his Truth Social platform, Trump wrote: “If Communist Candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the Election for Mayor of New York City, it is highly improbable that I volition beryllium contributing Federal Funds, different than the precise minimum arsenic required, to my beloved archetypal home, due to the fact that of the information that, arsenic a Communist, this erstwhile large City has ZERO accidental of success, oregon adjacent survival!

“It is my beardown condemnation that New York City volition beryllium a Complete and Total Economic and Social Disaster should Mamdani win.

“I would overmuch alternatively spot a Democrat, who has had a Record of Success, WIN, than a Communist with nary acquisition and a Record of COMPLETE AND TOTAL FAILURE,” helium added.

In the post, Trump encouraged voting for Cuomo and discouraged voting for Sliwa. “A ballot for Curtis Sliwa (who looks overmuch amended without the beret!) is simply a ballot for Mamdani.”

Trump’s station echoed his sentiments connected CBS News, erstwhile helium said helium is improbable to nonstop wealth to New York should Mamdani win. “It’s gonna beryllium hard for maine arsenic the president to springiness a batch of wealth to New York, due to the fact that if you person a communist moving New York, each you’re doing is wasting the wealth you’re sending there.”

Is Mamdani a communist?

Trump and different US Republicans person repeatedly called Mamdani a communist. Mamdani describes himself arsenic a antiauthoritarian socialist, and erstwhile asked if helium was a communist during NBC’s Meet the Press successful June, helium said, “No, I americium not.”

A Muslim US national primitively from Uganda, Mamdani’s run has focused connected making New York much affordable for residents with rent freezes, escaped cosmopolitan childcare and little nationalist transport costs. However, astir picture him arsenic a socialist – not a communist.

In June, PolitiFact besides debunked claims that Mamdani is simply a communist. “Communism involves a centrally planned economy, with nary marketplace forces. Prices and quantities are acceptable by a cardinal authorities authority. There is nary antiauthoritarian governmental competition, and alternatively a azygous enactment rules the country. He is not calling for immoderate of this,” Stanford University prof Anna Grzymala-Busse told PolitiFact.

On Monday, adjacent Cuomo said: “Mamdani is not a communist. He’s a socialist. But we don’t request a socialist politician either.”

Who is Cuomo, the ‘bad Democrat’ Trump is present backing?

Cuomo is an autarkic campaigner who was New York’s Democratic politician from 2011 to 2021. He besides served arsenic lawyer wide of New York authorities from 2007 to 2010.

He initially stood successful the Democratic primaries for this mayoral predetermination but mislaid to Mamdani. Cuomo received 43.61 percent of the votes, and Mamdani 56.39 percent.

The billionaire was plagued by intersexual harassment allegations during his word arsenic politician and was yet forced to measurement down from office.

In April, the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) recovered that Cuomo’s run had not provided grounds of integer donations, a request to suffice for nationalist funds. Cuomo’s run mislaid retired connected astir $3m successful nationalist funds arsenic a effect of this.

Then, successful May, the CFB fined his run $675,000 for “improper coordination” with a supporting Super PAC.

How overmuch does NYC really beryllium connected national funds?

According to a New York State Comptroller report, which is an investigation of national backing for New York City published successful April this year, the metropolis volition necessitate $7.4bn successful national backing for the fiscal twelvemonth 2026.

The report, published connected April 28, showed that the national backing accounts for 6.4 percent of full spending. The remaining funds came from authorities taxes, fees and different income. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli serves arsenic the main fiscal serviceman of New York state.

In the fiscal twelvemonth 2025, the city’s operational fund was $9.7bn, including $1.1bn successful pandemic funds.

The study said national backing mostly goes towards the city’s lodging and societal services agencies. The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) was the largest non-pandemic national money for fiscal years 2025 and 2026.

What does the instrumentality say?

Under the US Constitution, it is Congress, not the president, which has the authorization to determine however national funds are allocated to states.

Article I of Section 8 of the US Constitution states that Congress tin cod taxes and determine however wealth should beryllium spent connected nationalist requirements. Additionally, Article I of Section 9 of the US Constitution states: “No Money shall beryllium drawn from the Treasury, but successful Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.”

If the president does not execute national backing decisions made by Congress, that would beryllium considered an unconstitutional enactment of “impoundment” connected the president’s part.

In 1974, the Impoundment Control Act (ICA) was passed aft then-President Richard Nixon tried to withhold funds already approved by Congress. The ICA allows the president to withhold funds appropriated by Congress for 45 days, but his determination to withhold funds indispensable past beryllium approved by Congress. So, portion the president gets a grade of discretion implicit national funding, Congress inactive makes the last call.

Congress is presently controlled by the Republican Party. Republicans clasp 53 seats successful the Senate, portion Democrats clasp 47; Republicans clasp 220 seats and Democrats clasp 212 successful the House of Representatives.

Has the authorities already chopped national backing to New York?

The Trump medication has already tried to chopped backing to the metropolis nether its outgoing mayor, Democrat Eric Adams.

The Trump medication has blocked $12m successful national assistance wealth that would person gone to New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which planned to walk it to the New York City Police Department (NYPD) for counterterrorism policing connected the Subway.

The national assistance wealth was revoked arsenic portion of a broader acceptable of national backing pauses announced successful January.

On October 8, Adams announced that New York City was filing a question successful enactment of New York state’s ineligible lawsuit against Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, aimed astatine preventing her from revoking that funding.

Besides, the New York State Comptroller study besides found: “New York City has already been notified of hundreds of millions of dollars successful cuts oregon pauses to national backing for this twelvemonth and next, but the afloat interaction of caller actions by Washington is not yet known.”

The study added that connected April 8, New York City was formally told by the national authorities that definite grants it had already legally been awarded would beryllium paused, partially cut, oregon afloat terminated.

DiNapoli predicted that the imaginable simplification to the city’s day-to-day operating fund could beryllium arsenic overmuch arsenic $400m for the fiscal twelvemonth 2025 and $135m for the fiscal twelvemonth 2026 – oregon adjacent higher, arsenic his predictions bash not relationship for immoderate further changes that mightiness beryllium made erstwhile the national authorities finalises its fund for the fiscal twelvemonth 2026.

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