Mamdani proposes cutting NYPD budget, canceling 5K new officer hires
Zohran Mamdani said his administration inherited a 'historic budget gap'
By Rachel Wolf Fox News
Published February 18, 2026 1:35pm EST
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani is looking to get the Big Apple on a tighter budget, and seems to see cuts to the New York Police Department (NYPD) as a way of getting the city back on track.
Mamdani's predecessor, Mayor Eric Adams, proposed at the end of his term that the city hire 5,000 more NYPD officers. However, upon entering office, Mamdani moved to cancel all orders signed by Adams following his Sept. 26, 2024, indictment. This included the proposed NYPD personnel increase.
Under Adams' plan, the NYPD was set to add 300 officers in July 2026, growing to 2,500 in July 2027 and eventually increasing to 5,000 additional officers annually in July 2028. The Adams plan allowed the NYPD to deploy approximately 40,000 officers to the streets, while Mamdani's plan caps the number closer to its current level of around 35,000.
Additionally, in the preliminary FY 2027 budget, it notes the importance of "significantly reducing current vacancies," which could include reductions in funding for the NYPD based on unfilled positions. The Gothamist, a New York-based publication, noted that Mamdani's budget proposes a $22 million decrease in the NYPD's $6.4 billion budget next year.
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