NEW YORK CITY (PIX11) \u2013 Budget season is heating up in New York City.<\/p>\n
Mayor Zohran Mamdani and City Council leaders sparred on social media Wednesday after the council released its budget<\/a> response.<\/p>\n More News: PIX on Politics <\/a><\/p>\n Speaker Julie Menin announced that the council found a $6 billion budget solution<\/a> that does not require an increase in property taxes or cuts to city services.<\/p>\n City Council Member Lincoln Restler told PIX11 News that balancing the budget without additional help from Albany is \u201cunrealistic.\u201d The council\u2019s proposal includes only a \u201cvery modest\u201d amount of new revenue from the state, he said.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just not realistic that there\u2019s $6 billion in efficiencies in the city budget that you could cut without impacting services,\u201d Restler said. \u201cWe need more support from Albany, ideally taxing the wealthiest among us.\u201d<\/p>\n Restler\u2019s comments on PIX on Politics Daily echo the mayor\u2019s.<\/p>\n \u201cSpeaker Julie Menin\u2019s preliminary budget proposal would result in slashing billions of dollars from agency budgets, which would force the City to cut services,\u201d Mamdani said in a post to X. \u201cAny proposal that claims we can close this gap<\/a> without significant new revenue is unrealistic.\u201d<\/p>\n On Wednesday, Menin said she supports \u201cprogressive taxation\u201d and encouraged Albany to beef up support for the city.<\/p>\n The budget debate spilled out of City Hall and onto social media, with Mamadani and Menin both posting videos explaining their positions.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t know budget negotiations were reduced to social media back-and-forth,\u201d said Council Member Nantasha Williams, chair of the Committee on Rules, Privileges, Elections, Standards and Ethics. \u201cDebate the budget all day, but do it with facts not confusion, finger-pointing, and fake outrage.\u201d<\/p>\n Watch the video player for the full interview. <\/p>\n Emily Rahhal is a digital reporter who has covered New York City since 2023 after reporting in Los Angeles for years. She joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of her work here <\/a>and follow her on Twitter here<\/a>. <\/p>\n Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to PIX11. <\/a><\/p>\n