NYC Mayor Eric Adams slashes funding to migrants in third round of budget cuts
NEW YORK - After threats of a third round of budget cuts due to the ongoing migrant crisis, the city says the budget is stabilizing.
In the first two rounds, city agencies like the NYPD, Department of Education and Sanitation departments were left to compensate for nearly $4 billion in cuts.
SEE ALSO: NYC migrants share struggle in their own words
Instead, NYC Mayor Eric Adams said the city will be cutting funding for migrants even further.
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NYC Mayor Eric Adams says migrants will get $13 a day on prepaid credit card: Here's the breakdown
NYC Mayor Eric Adams is clearing up reports on how much migrants will actually receive on their prepaid cards.
Adams said the administration would slash an additional 10% in migrant spending (for a total of 30%) after the 20% reduction announced in the preliminary budget.
He believes the efforts to reduce migrant spending have helped put the city on a better path financially.
Pre-paid credit cards for migrants
Earlier this week, Adams cleared up reports on how much money migrants would actually receive on prepaid credit cards that he claims would help save the city money.
"Each migrant will get about $13 a day, so it's not automatically $1,000 as it has been reported," Adams told FOX 5 NY.
The mayor claims the credit cards could help save the city money. He will continue forward with the credit card plan despite announcing these cuts.
"This is going to be part of our cost-saving measures. We're going to save $600,000 a month, $7.2 million a year," he said.
Migrants line up outside Roosevelt Hotel in Midtown Manhattan while waiting for placement inside a shelter. (Photo by Fatih Aktas/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Cuts to migrant spending spare libraries, sanitation, more
Adams blamed the first two rounds of harsh budget cuts on the ongoing migrant crisis, with the city having spent $1.45 billion in 2023 alone.
In an interview with ABC, Adams said New Yorkers should feel relieved that a planned third round of cuts to city services like libraries and sanitation will no longer be necessary.
"You're not going to see some of those draconian steps that we were going to have to take, as we get in the way of the cleanliness and the safety of our city," Adams told ABC.
The city credits a "better-than-expected economic performance" in 2023 that brought in more tax revenue than previously predicted. The administration has been recognized for its handling of the budget.
Some fiscal experts predict the city could bring in even more than the administration projects.
Adams said if the city did not make cuts to migrant funding, services like garbage pickup, libraries and older adults would be impacted.
"It would impact a series of services that you would actually see the difference," Adams said.
Transitioning out of an ‘emergency state’
The city plans to transition out of an emergency state and into a stabilized state, which Adams said would save the city money despite the continuing migrant crisis.
"When we inherited this, we were in an emergency state. Emergency conditions cost more money," Adams said.
The mayor said the city would also ease back on the citywide hiring freeze.
With this, agencies would be able to hire one new employee for every two vacancies in the city.
The cuts are expected to go into effect in the coming weeks.