One of the loudest critics of Mayor Eric Adams’ handling of the migrant crisis, city Comptroller Brad Lander, headed to Washington on Tuesday to demand federal lawmakers cough up more funding to pay for the crisis.
“Good morning from the Acela, en route from NYC to DC!,” the lefty pol wrote on Twitter, in a post that included a photo of him sitting in business class.
“Headed to the nation’s capital today to help launch a network of investors who support workers’ rights—and to advocate for the resources & coordination we need to help new arrivals become the next generation of New Yorkers,” he added.
It’s Lander’s first trip to D.C. to push for funding, during which he’s scheduled to meet with several officials from the Biden administration.
Adams, who has bristled at Lander’s criticism and long called on him to get more involved, issued a little dig at the comptroller when asked about his DC visit Tuesday.
“I’m happy he’s going, it took him a little while,” Mayor Adams said at a morning press conference. “All citywide electeds should go. This is the number one issue affecting the city right now. Our city does not deserve this. ”
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So far, the feds have either promised or delivered just $142 million in aid to help Adams pick up the estimated $12 billion expense of providing housing and social services to migrants — roughly 66,000 of whom are still in the city’s care.
Hizzoner has used the extraordinary price tag and paltry sums of federal support to explain controversial moves taken by his administration that have been harshly criticized by Lander, including ordering budget cuts of up to 15 percent at every city agency.
The city’s three public library systems responded to the cuts by announcing they were axing Sunday hours at their facilities. The NYPD has said the cuts could cut the number of cops on patrol, even as crime levels remain above pre-pandemic averages.
Adams has also pointed to the budget crunch to justify ordering recent arrivals who are single adults to reapply for shelter every 30 days, while families are given 60 days, another decision that Lander has harshly criticized.
“City Hall should stop suggesting that asylum seekers are the reason for imposing severe cuts when they are only contributing to a portion of these budget gaps, much of which already existed,” Lander said in a statement issued two weeks ago.
Adams has retorted that Lander — who he’s dubbed the “loudest person in the city” — and other progressives have not done enough to pressure President Biden and Congress to deliver more funding to alleviate the budget crisis.
“Brad Lander, the loudest person in the city, has yet to go to Washington to deal with the number one issue that this city’s facing. Think about that for a moment,” a frustrated Adams railed in June.
