A few hours before polling began in a sweltering atmosphere The race for mayor of New York On Monday, the President of the United States Donald Trump endorsed Andrew Cuomo And threatened to pull federal funds if Democrats Johran Mamdani won
Earlier he had given hints about this during his time 60 Minutes Interview On Sunday’s CBS News broadcast, he called Mamdani a “communist” and said it would be difficult to “pay New York a lot” if he won.
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Here’s what Trump has threatened and what the Constitution says about the president’s authority to withhold federal funds from individual states.
Who is leading in the New York mayoral race?
According to the latest RealClearPolitics average, Mamdani was next With 46.1 percent of the vote, independents have a 14.3-point advantage over Cuomo, 31.8 percent, and a 29.8-point lead. Republican Curtis Sliwa16.3 percent, polling stations opened at 6 a.m. local time (11:00 GMT) on Tuesday.
What did Trump threaten?
In a post on his Truth social platform, Trump wrote: “If the communist candidate Zohran Mamdani wins the election for mayor of New York City, I will contribute federal funds as needed for my beloved first house, which is very little, because, as a communist, this city once had a chance for great success!
“I firmly believe that if Mamdani wins, New York City will be a complete and utter economic and social disaster.
“I would much rather have a Democrat with a record of success, who has won, than a Communist with no experience and a record of complete and utter failure,” he added.
In the post, Trump encouraged Cuomo to vote and discouraged Sliwa from voting. “Curtis Sliwa (who looks a lot better without the beret!) has a vote for Mamdani.”
Trump’s post echoed his sentiments on CBS News, when he said Mamdani was unlikely to send money to New York if he won. “It would be hard for me as president to give a lot of money to New York, because if you have a Communist running New York, you’re wasting the money you’re sending there.”
Is Mamdani a Communist?
Trump and other US Republicans have repeatedly called Mamdani a communist. Mamdani describes himself as a democratic socialist, and when asked if he was a communist during NBC’s Meet the Press in June, he said, “No, I’m not.”
A Muslim U.S. citizen originally from Uganda, Mamdani’s campaign has focused on a rent freeze for New York residents, free universal child care and lower public transportation costs. However, most describe him as a socialist – not a communist.
In June, PolitiFact also Dismissed claims That Mamdani is a communist. “Communism involves a centrally planned economy, with no market power. Prices and quantities are set by a central government authority. There is no democratic political competition and instead a single party rules the country. It demands none of that,” Stanford University professor Anna Grzymala-Busey told PolitiFact.
On Monday, Cuomo also said: “Mamdani is not a communist. He’s a socialist. But we don’t need a socialist mayor either.”
Who Is Cuomo, The ‘Bad Democrat’ Trump Is Now Supporting?
Cuomo is an independent candidate who was the Democratic governor of New York from 2011 to 2021. He also served as the Attorney General of the State of New York from 2007 to 2010.
He initially ran in the Democratic primary in this mayoral election but was defeated by Mamdani. Cuomo received 43.61 percent of the vote and Mamdani 56.39 percent.
The billionaire was dogged by allegations of sexual harassment during his tenure as governor and was eventually forced to step down.
In April, the New York City Campaign Finance Board (CFB) found that Cuomo’s campaign did not provide proof of digital donations required to qualify for public funding. Cuomo’s campaign lost nearly $3 million in public funding as a result.
Then, in May, the CFB fined his campaign $675,000 for “improper coordination.” Support Super Pac.
How much does NYC actually rely on federal funds?
According to the New York State Comptroller’s Report, which is an analysis of federal funding for New York City, published in April this year, the city will need $7.4bn in federal funding for fiscal year 2026.
The report, published April 28, showed that federal funding accounted for 6.4 percent of total spending. The rest of the funding came from state taxes, fees and other revenues. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli serves as New York State’s Chief Financial Officer.
In fiscal year 2025, the city’s operational budget was $9.7bn, including $1.1bn in epidemic funding.
The report says federal funds go largely to the city’s housing and social service agencies. Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) was the largest non-pandemic federal fund for fiscal years 2025 and 2026.
What does the law say?
According to the US Constitution, Congress, not the president, has the power to decide how to allocate federal funds to the states.
Section I of Article 8 of the US Constitution states that Congress can collect taxes and decide how to spend the money for national needs. Additionally, Section I of Article 9 of the US Constitution states: “No money shall be withdrawn from the Treasury, but in consequence of appropriations made by law.”
If the President does not implement federal funding decisions made by Congress, that would be considered an unconstitutional act of “impeachment” on the part of the President.
In 1974, the Impoundment Control Act (ICA) was passed after then-President Richard Nixon tried to block funding already approved by Congress. The ICA allows the president to withhold funds appropriated by Congress for 45 days, but his decision to withhold funds must then be approved by Congress. So, while the president gets a degree of discretion over federal funding, Congress makes the final call.
Congress is currently controlled by the Republican Party. Republicans hold 53 seats in the Senate, while Democrats hold 47; In the House of Representatives, Republicans hold 220 seats and Democrats hold 212.
Has the government already cut federal funding to New York?
The Trump administration has already tried to cut funding to the city under outgoing mayor Eric Adams, a Democrat.
The Trump administration has blocked $12 million in federal grant money that would have gone to New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), which had planned to send it to the New York City Police Department (NYPD) for counterterrorism policing on the subway.
The federal grant money was withdrawn as part of a broader set of federal funding freezes announced in January.
On October 8, Adams announced that New York City was filing a motion in support of a lawsuit against New York State Homeland Security Secretary Kristy Noem, aimed at preventing her from withdrawing that funding.
Additionally, the New York State Comptroller’s report also found: “New York City has already been notified of millions of dollars in cuts or freezes in federal funding for this year and next, but the full impact of Washington’s recent actions is not yet known.”
The report added that on April 8, New York City was formally told by the federal government that some of the subsidies already legally awarded to them would be paused, partially cut, or completely terminated.
DiNapoli estimated that potential cuts to the city’s day-to-day operating budget could be as much as $400 million for fiscal year 2025 and $135 million for fiscal year 2026 – or even more, as the federal government finalizes its 2020 budget, with no further changes to its projections.