Mamdani Punts When Asked How He’ll Fund Chief Campaign Promise

Democratic New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani did not explicitly answer how he will fund government-run buses without Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul agreeing to raise taxes.

Hochul has expressed opposition to raising taxes for wealthy New Yorkers while she faces pressure from the far-left on how to fund Mamdani’s agenda. During an interview with PIX, Mamdani did not provide a backup plan for how he intends to pay for his busing policy, which would cost $800 million per year.

“How are you getting that money, the $700 million to make the buses free, into the MTA if she’s not for raising taxes?” PIX’s Dan Mannarino asked. 

“You know, I think that the two clearest ways to raise that money is through the raising of the state’s corporate tax to max out of New Jersey,” Mamdani said. 

“But she said no,” Mannarino continued.

Mamdani reiterated that raising taxes would be the most effective way to pay for his busing policy and did not explain any other plans on how to fund the program.

“I think that a lot of this is still a case to be made. Whether it’s the corporate tax or the personal income tax on those who make more than a million dollars a year or more, I think that these are the clearest ways. I’ve also said that if there are other ways to raise this funding, the most important fact is that we fund it, not the question of how we do it, but that we do it,” Mamdani said. 

The mayor-elect also intends to implement government-run grocery stores, universal childcare, rent freezes on stabilized apartments and a Department of Community Safety, which would dispatch social workers rather than police officers for non-violent 911 calls. Mamdani also did not explain how he intended to pay for his socialist policies during a Nov. 4 interview on “Morning Joe.”

Resurfaced footage from 2021 showed Mamdani calling for “seizing the means of production” during a Young Democratic Socialists of America conference. He has received the endorsements of fellow self-professed democratic socialist lawmakers, New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

Mamdani has released several videos to his social media accounts asking his supporters for money since winning the mayoral election.