Crime-ridden NYC BOOSTs police with $112B budget after outcry from socialist politicians days after firing fellow Squad member
The New York Police Department will get a huge financial boost next year after the City Council passed a $112 billion budget despite opposition from Democratic socialists.
The roughly $72 million increase in police spending in the Big Apple came a week after progressive Congressman Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., a proponent of defunding the police, lost his re-election campaign to a moderate.
The budget passed by a vote of 46-3, with three Democratic Socialist members voting against the measure, in part because of the money for NYPD “favorite projects.”
The increased law enforcement budget could indicate that New Yorkers want to get tougher on crime, especially after Bowman’s departure.
And that could jeopardize the elections of other Squad Democrats.
Fellow Squad members Reps. Cori Bush of Missouri and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, both of whom have spoken openly about defunding the police, also face tough challenges in the primary elections that could see them expelled from Congress.
Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., a member of The Squad, lost his reelection bid after being defeated in the Democratic primary by George Latimer. He is the first-ever member of The Squad to lose
Bush is currently in a neck-and-neck race with St. Louis County District Attorney Wesley Bell, new polls show.
A survey of 400 registered voters in Missouri’s 1st District by The Mellman Group found Bush at 42 percent, behind Bell’s 43 percent.
Bush is suddenly in a street fight with Bell, after it looked certain in January that she would win when she was up 45 percent to 29 percent.
And Omar can’t avoid it either: he has a tough opponent in Don Samuels, a 75-year-old former city councilor who lost to her by just two points in 2022.
Samuels has argued to voters that Omar focuses too much on foreign issues, such as the war between Israel and Ham, and does not spend enough time fighting for his constituents.
The Somali-born Democrat has repeatedly attended pro-Gaza rallies. Her daughter was arrested for organizing a student-led protest on the campus of Columbia University in support of the Palestinians.
Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., recently polled behind her Democratic challenger
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., (R) faces another tough challenge in the primary from Don Samuels, a 75-year-old former city councilman who lost to the Squad member by just two points.
However, another New York Democrat who supported the “defund the police” movement, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., appears to be in no danger of losing her seat.
Her Democratic challenger Marty Dolan wanted to return the district to more moderate leadership.
He criticized her for being too extreme on Israel and other issues.
One ad for Dolan’s campaign hit out at AOC, calling for “defund the police.”
Still, the Squad leader won her Democratic primary last week, defending her seat representing part of the Bronx.
“Wall Street came at us again and the people won,” she posted on X after winning the primaries.
“Thank you to the Bronx and Queens for electing me as your Congresswoman. It has been the honor of my life to fight for working families and everyday people.”
Like many other Squad members who have spoken out about defunding police, several Democratic Socialist members of the New York City Council criticized the increased funding for the NYPD in the city’s 2025 budget.
“Mayor Adams is pouring money into his pet NYPD projects that do not contribute to real community safety, including the multi-agency Cop City training center, the 86-member public relations team, the high school teen cop program, and the Strategic Response Group,” said Councilmember Shahana Hanif.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., won her primary last week. She tried to support Bowman by campaigning with him, but her popularity wasn’t enough to keep his seat
The New York City Council on Sunday approved a budget that will increase funding for the New York Police Department by millions
“A budget is about choices, and Mayor Adams has made the wrong choices,” she continued. “I cannot pass a budget that, despite the council’s best efforts, keeps us on Mayor Adams’ path of cuts.”
Tiffany Cabán, another Democratic socialist on the New York City Council, said, “This no vote will certainly not increase my popularity with those in power.”
“My constituents did not bring me here to be a juror on Mayor Adams’ budget.”
Meanwhile, New York City’s Democratic Mayor Eric Adams celebrated the budget’s passage in a statement.
“The mission of our administration is clear: protect public safety, rebuild our economy and make this city more livable. This budget is direct evidence of that mission,” he said.
New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who used to work for the NYPD, celebrated the passage of the city’s $112 billion budget, which includes increased police funding
Bowman was an outspoken supporter of the defund the police movement before taking office and during his time in office
“A system this cruel and inhumane cannot be reformed,” Bowman posted on X after his election in December 2020. “Defund the police and defund the system that terrorizes our communities.”
In another tweet from April 2021, Bowman wrote: “Republicans want to fund all government programs except the ones that actively terrorize Black people and people of color.”
“It’s time to disarm the police,” Bowman tweeted in 2019.
The New York Democrat was one of the leading proponents of “defund the police” on Capitol Hill.
In contrast, George Latimer, the New York county executive who defeated Bowman, has not indicated he wants to cut law enforcement funding.