The only Republican lawmaker representing one of New York City’s boroughs in Congress is lambasting members of her own party for seeking to defund the Big Apple after socialist mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s win.
Staten Island Rep. Nicole Malliotakis told The Post Friday that she will “push back on any attempt” by fellow congressional Republicans to “punish” New York City.
Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) told Fox News on Thursday he was introducing a new bill, the Moving American Money Distant from Anti-National Interests Act, or MAMDANI Act, to block federal funding for the Big Apple.
Rep. Nicole Malliotakis is criticizing her party’s effort to defund New York City over Zohran Mamdani. AP
“I’m going to fight Mamdani’s radical socialist policies — but I’ll also push back on any attempt by my own party to ‘punish’ our city,” Malliotakis said. “I love New York and will always fight for it.”
“The mayor-elect did not receive a mandate on Tuesday; nearly 50% of voters opposed his election,” she added.
“I’ll never stop fighting for hardworking New Yorkers who believe in the American Dream and the uniformed services that protect them.”
An earlier piece of legislation, also dubbed the MAMDANI Act, was introduced by Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) in July to have the Federal Trade commission study the effects of government-run grocery stores — one of the mayor elect’s economic proposals.
“My constituents did not vote for Zohran Mamdani, and then you have people in Washington wanting to punish the whole city for the stupid decisions of a few,” Malliotakis said. Getty Images
“My constituents did not vote for Zohran Mamdani,” Malliotakis also noted in an interview with Fox News discussing her efforts to halt House Republicans from scoring “cheap political points” against New York.
“You have people in Washington wanting to punish the whole city for the stupid decisions of a few,” she added.
Rep. Buddy Carter introduced new legislation called the Moving American Money Distant from Anti-National Interests Act, or the “MAMDANI Act,” that says, “no Federal funds may be obligated or expended for any purpose to New York.” AP
“Attempts by Congressman Buddy Carter to strip New York City of all its funding is ludicrous and a slap in the face to the hardworking taxpayers of this city, half of which did not even support Zohran Mamdani for mayor.”
Carter’s bill was slated to be introduced during a pro forma session Friday in the House, which has been in recess for nearly 50 days during the government shutdown.
New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani speaks to the media during his visit to a mosque in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on Friday. REUTERS
The Trump administration earlier this year yanked $187 million in federal funding for New York City related to counterterrorism — before quickly reversing course.
Billions of dollars in other funding tranches for infrastructure projects — including the Second Avenue subway and Hudson Tunnel — were also frozen amid the shutdown.
The Big Apple is one of the most heavily taxed cities in the nation but also a top destination for many Republican fundraising events, Malliotakis pointed out.
“Anyone who signs onto that bill, including Buddy, should not come to New York City to raise a dollar for their campaign,” she told Fox. “If they’re going to sponsor a hostile bill toward our city, then they shouldn’t be coming to raise money from our residents.”
Mamdani won large swaths of Brooklyn and parts of the Bronx and Queens. AP
“Nicole is New York City’s last line of defense against socialism. If everyone stood up for New York City the way Nicole does, it wouldn’t be in this awful mess,” Carter responded in a statement.
“She and I agree: Taxpayers shouldn’t bankroll a socialist or communist agenda. New York’s new mayor embraces it, and hardworking Americans shouldn’t have to subsidize it. The MAMDANI Act makes that clear, plain and simple.”
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Mamdani, 34, was elected to lead the Big Apple after racking up votes in Brooklyn, the Bronx, Queens and Manhattan, but Staten Island was the only borough that voted for former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Malliotakis did not endorse either candidate, opting instead for Republican mayoral candidate Curtis Sliwa, who nabbed less than 10% of the city vote.
Black Lives Matter protests that devolved into rioting in major US cities during the summer of 2020 prompted then-Attorney General Bill Barr, in consultation with budget director Russ Vought, to review whether taxpayer funding was flowing to so-called “anarchist” jurisdictions that “permitted violence and the destruction of property.”
That included New York City, as well as Portland and Seattle.