Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
The trustbuster advising Mamdani who could bring aggressive approach to affordability
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Nov 21, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Elizabeth Kim
Published Nov 21, 2025
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has a potentially powerful tool in executing his affordability agenda: the woman who went after junk fees and stopped megamergers as one of President Joe Biden’s top consumer watchdogs.
Mamdani’s appointment of Lina Khan, the former head of the Federal Trade Commission, to his transition team last month immediately drew excitement on the left but consternation in business circles.
Progressives began to imagine how her aggressive approach to regulation could play out at the local level. The city’s executives, meanwhile, wondered if Khan’s appointment signaled that Mamdani’s outreach to corporate leaders during the general election wasn’t genuine.
"I'm going to be especially focused on things like 'how do we make sure that we have a full accounting of all of the laws and authorities that the mayor can unilaterally deploy,'" Khan said in a clip of a “Pod Save America” podcast interview that’s set to be released next week.
Under her direction, the FTC, which is tasked with protecting the public from deceptive or unfair business practices, effectively blocked a nearly $25 billion merger between two grocery giants that it said would have raised prices and harmed labor markets. It also banned junk fees for concerts and hotels, a key Biden initiative, and capped prices on asthma inhalers, among other actions.
“In the business community, she has the unfortunate reputation of being an ideologue, but a smart one,” said Kathy Wylde, who heads the business advocacy group Partnership for New York City. “Tactics that encourage litigation will not help New York become more affordable.”
James Parrott, a veteran economist who worked for Mayor David Dinkins, said he’s been eagerly listening to Khan talk about how levers of government can protect consumers against questionable or illegal business practices. “This is a debate that's taking place around the country,” he said.
So what exactly could Khan do? Here are ideas she’s considering.
Cheaper hot dogs and beer at sporting venues
Earlier this month, Semafor reported that Khan is interested in cracking down on what every sports fan has groused about: the high cost of food and drinks at stadiums and arenas. The outlet said Khan had identified a 56-year-old New York City law that prohibits "unconscionable" business practices.
What’s more unconscionable than a $20 beer or a $7 hot dog?
According to Semafor, the last time the law was used was during the outset of the 2020 pandemic, when businesses jacked up the price of facemasks.
The city also has leverage over sports owners. It leases the land for the Mets’ Citi Field and Yankee Stadium. Madison Square Garden, which is home to the Knicks and Rangers, requires an operating permit that the City Council must approve.
Parrott told Gothamist that City Hall could look into controlling the price of concessions by inserting new provisions into those agreements.
The high cost of health care
Khan has also said the government can do more to protect consumers in the health care industry.
“Are these markets where if we just take on illegal monopolistic practices, that’ll be enough to make sure that companies aren’t price gouging?” she said during an interview with Jon Stewart.
Similarly, Semafor reported that Khan was interested in targeting hospitals that overcharge for drugs that can be purchased cheaply at drugstores.
During her time at the FTC, Khan accused three big pharmaceutical companies of inflating the cost of insulin.
Algorithmic pricing by landlords, Uber and Lyft
Khan has previously voiced concerns that algorithmic pricing — which allows prices to fluctuate based on real-time data on demand, competitors’ prices and personal information — is anticompetitive, price-fixing and an invasion of privacy.
New York recently passed legislation regulating the use of algorithmic pricing. One law forces companies like Uber, Lyft and DoorDash to reveal when they use algorithmic pricing.
In her interview with Stewart, Khan cited another law that prohibits landlords from using algorithmic pricing, saying, “We want to make sure that those new laws can be enforced vigorously, too.”
Tagged
Politics
new york city
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]
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Dump truck driver hits and kills cyclist on 34th Street in Midtown, NYPD says
It's the latest in a string of hit-and-run deaths in the city in recent months.
By
Liam Quigley
Published Sep 28, 2026 at 4:15 p.m. ET
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
News
New ingredient mandated for Latin American kitchen, restaurant plates in NJ
The Garden State now requires that corn masa dough and flour made and sold in the state be fortified with folic acid.
By
Arya Sundaram
A Brooklyn jail cell filled with smoke. The emergency button failed, a lawyer said.
By
Samantha Max
Crews launch tunnel machines to dig first new Hudson River rail tunnels since 1910
By
Michael Sol Warren
NYC nor’easter dries up after weather service reports minor flooding
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .