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Adams is lashing out at Biden over the migrant crisis. Will it help NYC?
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Apr 20, 2023
Modified Apr 20, 2023
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Michael Appleton/Mayoral Photography Office
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Apr 20, 2023
Modified Apr 20, 2023
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New York City mayors are expected to lean aggressively on White House leaders when it comes to advocating for local aid.
But Mayor Eric Adams’ rebuke of President Joe Biden on Wednesday was nonetheless a remarkable tongue-lashing of the commander-in-chief by a member of his own party — especially one who once called himself the “Biden of Brooklyn.”
The remark that the White House has “failed” New York City reflects Adams’ frustration with a lack of federal resources to address a surge of migrants pouring into the city from the southern border. It also comes a week before the mayor is expected to release his executive budget, which he said must account for the city’s financial predicament.
“This is one of the largest humanitarian crises that this city has ever experienced. It will impact every service in the city,” Adams said. “Why isn’t every elected official in Washington, D.C. asking the national government, ‘Why are you doing this to New York?’"
The mayor’s direct criticism of the president suggests a new front in his effort to get Washington to pay attention to a simmering crisis his administration says will cost the city more than $4 billion in shelter, food and other services over the next two years.
By most accounts, Adams has leverage over the president. Biden is expected to announce his re-election campaign and has tapped Adams as a surrogate.
“This is an issue for Joe Biden because you don't want to have a Black Democratic mayor, who leads the biggest city in the country, upset at you for not supporting him,” said Basil Smikle, a former Democratic strategist. “He doesn't want to have Republicans using immigration and using the New York City mayor's words on immigration against him.”
Whether the strategy works may soon become clear. Following Adams' remarks, a spokesperson for the White House said the federal government will announce additional migrant funding in the coming weeks.
On Friday, Adams is scheduled to travel to Washington and meet with federal officials about the migrant crisis.
Adams’ criticisms on Wednesday were not solely reserved for the president. As the mayor faces a budget battle with the City Council, he also used the moment to strike back at lawmakers who have criticized his decision to make across-the-board cuts to city agencies in the face of a yawning fiscal deficit. Moments before the press conference began, he was interrupted by protesters who called on him to renew funding for libraries, schools and safety net services.
“The money god just doesn't appear and drop it in front of us,” Adams said in reference to such critics. “Running your mouth is not running a city.”
Democrats responded to his White House remarks by acknowledging the need for federal support while also criticizing the mayor’s own handling of the crisis.
“Good for him,” said Councilmember Justin Brannan of Brooklyn. “He’s right. We need help. We can’t handle this on our own.”
“I ain’t too proud to beg,” he added.
But Brannan, who chairs the Council’s finance committee, added that demands for more financial assistance for migrants and funding for services for New Yorkers “need not live in tension.”
Some councilmembers have argued the mayor’s struggles with housing homeless New Yorkers preceded the migrant crisis and have only further complicated its efforts to deliver services to those in the shelter system.
“The mayor cannot say they are finding efficiencies when agencies cannot perform the critical functions of processing applications for food assistance, housing vouchers, and other services New Yorkers need,” said Rendy Desamours, a spokesperson for Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, in an emailed response to Gothamist.
He added: “The real problem is that city agencies don’t have the support or capacity to effectively or efficiently help New Yorkers and confront our city’s challenges, which leads this Administration to spend more and more taxpayer dollars on emergency contracts.”
Desamours also questioned the mayor’s projections that the average number of migrant households would more than double next year.
Fabien Levy, a spokesperson for Adams, called Desamours' comments “ill-informed and poorly thought out.”
“The City Council has seen how much we have spent to date, understands how much we expect to spend in the coming year, and still hasn’t put forward a single proposal accounting for the real cost of caring for asylum seekers,” he said in a statement.
Adams has so far refrained from criticizing other New York lawmakers who have sway over federal funding.
He’s credited Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, for securing $800 million that will go to cities providing services for migrants. The Biden administration has not yet announced how those funds will be divided.
Levy said city officials applied to receive the entire first $350 million that was recently made available to localities. They also sought an additional $300 million, but have yet to hear back on its request.
Plans to secure future tranches of federal aid have also not been publicly disclosed.
Sen. Kristen Gillibrand, who is running for re-election, has been aggressively touting her record to reporters in recent months. She also played a role in lobbying for migrant funding. Asked to comment on Adams’ remarks, Gillibrand spokesperson Lizzie Landau said the senator “is fully committed to passing comprehensive immigration reform and to creating a clear pathway to work authorization for asylum seekers. New York has a storied history of welcoming immigrant families and upholding the dignity of those seeking to build a better life.”
Smikle said that while Biden may be able to help with “bureaucratic fixes” such as expediting work permits for asylum-seekers, Schumer and Gillibrand face the bigger challenge of getting Congress to approve more money for the city.
“They're the ones that are going to have to actually go to the table with Republicans across the aisle to try to get something done,” he said.
This story has been updated with additional comment.
Tagged
joe biden
eric adams
budget
immigration
Elizabeth Kim
Elizabeth Kim is a reporter on the People and Power desk who covers mayoral power. She previously covered the pandemic, housing, redevelopment and public spaces. A native of Queens, she speaks fluent Mandarin. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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