Tuesday night’s State of the Union was\u00a0a lot of things.<\/p>\n
It was heavy on existing policy and light on new ones. It was a triumphant proclamation on President Donald Trump’s first year back in office. At 107 minutes, it was the longest State of the Union ever. <\/p>\n
It was also an opportunity to throw a barb at NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, as President Donald Trump has been wont to do. <\/a>Trump did call Mamdani a nice guy, despite his “communist” policies. <\/p>\n And he pointed to the mayor’s opposition to a national law that would require identification to vote as being in stark contrast to his administration’s support of an emergency snow shovelers program in which three forms of identification, including a Social Security number, are required in order to get a temp job shoveling snow. <\/p>\n “Even the new communist mayor of New York City — I think he’s a nice guy, actually, speaking to him a lot. Bad policy, but nice guy, just said they want people to shovel snow but if you apply for that job you need to show two original forms of ID and a Social Security card,” Trump said.<\/p>\n “Yet they don’t want identification for the greatest privilege of all: Voting in America,” the president said.<\/p>\n In New York, people have to show proof of citizenship when they register to vote, but don’t have to show ID when they cast their ballots.<\/p>\n Trump called the snow program evidence of Democratic inconsistency. Mamdani’s administration didn’t immediately respond to the taunt. The two have mostly taken an agreeable approach since meeting at the White House in November, following Trump’s insult-ridden yet failed campaign to keep the Democrat from office.<\/p>\n As in that case, Trump was playing to his audience. This ended up plugging the city’s program as well, though.<\/p>\n The city had been offering up to $30 for emergency snow shovelers<\/a> during the storm — an attempt to both support New Yorkers in need of quick cash and the mayor’s pledges to expedite snow removal. <\/a><\/p>\n First, potential applications need to meet three conditions to be eligible to register for the program: 1) At least 18 years old; 2) Eligible to work in the United States; (3) Able to perform heavy physical labor.<\/p>\n It was the registration part to which Trump was referring. People have to show up near a sanitation garage — on a walk-in basis or with an appointment — with the following documents:<\/p>\n Two original forms of ID, plus copies (if possible) and;<\/p>\n Social Security number (bring card, if possible)<\/p>\n (More info on emergency snow shoveler registration here<\/a>.)<\/p>\n