America has spoken: by popular and electoral vote, Donald Trump is the 47th President of the United States. In these months of campaigning, he has spoken several times about his political and economic agenda, characterized by big cuts to bring down prices. These could strongly affect New York City, as the city supported Democrat Kamala Harris and is among the most expensive in the country.
Three main areas could be affected by the second Trump administration: transportation, immigration and education.
Regarding transportation, New York City is on the hook for about $14 billion in federal funding to cover the $65.4 billion in expenses of the MTA. The new Trump administration may decide not to disburse them, just as it has refused to support the cost of building a new tunnel for Amtrak to cross the Hudson River. Congestion pricing—the toll to enter Midtown Manhattan approved by the MTA chairman and suspended before it went into effect by Governor Kathy Hochul—is still in the hands of Gov. Hochul, but Trump already spoke out against it last May: “I will end it within the first week back in office!”
Immigration has been, and still is, one of New York’s most challenging issues. Trump declared from day one of his campaign that he would deport all illegal immigrants from the United States. According to the latest figure certified by Comptroller Brad Lander, last January there were 476,000 in the city (there may be more as of today) and they may all be sent back to their country of origin, thus violating human rights. The Trump administration is aiming to pass the Insurrection Act so that the military will be ordered to control the borders.
Finally, the last area at risk is education. Trump aims to give more control to the states by eliminating the federal Department of Education, which represents 6 percent of the state budget. Also on the newly-elected president’s agenda is a long list of LGBTQ+ books to be censored to prevent “inappropriate indoctrination.”
Mayor Eric Adams seems unconcerned about the impact certain policies might have at the municipal level. He wrote on X/Twitter: “This is a great day for all who want to see a cleaner, safer city, improved fiscal responsibility, more transparency in the capital bureaucracy, and access to abortion.”
He also added that, “We will work with the new administration and Congress to develop a realistic and compassionate national strategy for our immigration system.”
