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By Andrew Stanton
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s latest initiative has drawn comparisons to the Trump administration’s unofficial Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Matt Rauschenbach, a spokesman for Mamdani, told Newsweek that the mayor “will take a hard look at every dollar” not to “hollow out” the government but ensure services “work for the people who rely on them.”
Why It Matters
Mamdani and President Donald Trump have little in common politically despite their amicable relationship—Mamdani, a Democratic socialist who became the mayor of the nation’s largest city, has been a critic of the administration’s conservative policies. But his new initiative requiring each agency to designate a chief savings officer has similar goals of DOGE around cutting government waste and ending programs that may not be useful. Mamdani, who took office at the start of the year, has raised concerns about the city’s budget.
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What To Know
Mamdani announced this week that the city is facing a $12 billion budget shortfall, placing blame on his predecessor, Eric Adams. He said the crisis stemmed from “underbudgeting essential services” such as rental assistance, shelter operations and special education, according to his office.
His office accused the former administration of “intentionally” understating budget gaps and criticized “disinvestment” driven by the state in a press statement this week.
On Thursday, he announced a new executive order aimed at resolving that issue.
Mamdani announced that each agency will need to identify a savings officer who will be asked to “come back to us with a full assessment of the savings that could be pursued, the efficiencies that we’re currently seeing and the programs that frankly need to be sunsetted or not effective,” he said during an interview on local news station WPIX.
He signed the executive order on the air establishing the requirement.
Some have drawn similarities between Mamdani’s efforts and DOGE, the Trump administration’s non-departmental agency spearheaded by Elon Musk aimed at cutting unnecessary spending. DOGE goals included eliminating what supporters viewed as duplicative, outdated or inefficient federal functions.
Critics, however, raised concerns about the scope and intent of the department, voicing worries that it was used to justify deep cuts to useful social programs, environmental protections or scientific agencies under the banner of “efficiency.”
A key difference is that Mamdani has already said he does not want to see widespread cuts to the city government.
Cuts, he said, would be a “last resort.”
“We do not want to be cutting the services that New Yorkers are relying on," he said on WPIX. "If the state does not change its relationship to the city, if it does not raise taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers and the most profitable corporations, then all that leaves the city with, are the most painful tools. However, we want to do everything we can to ensure that those are not the tools we have to use.”
Some observers noted similarities between the two programs.
Paul Rodríguez, deputy treasurer of the Republican National Hispanic Assembly, wrote on X: “NYC Socialist DOGE? Will this achieve any more tangible success than its national predecessor? Will Mamdani be more willing to cut waste and fraud than Trump.”
“New York City is going full DOGE!” Russell Drew wrote.
Adams, meanwhile, responded to Mamdani’s claims on X: “I didn't leave a "budget hole." I left over $8 BILLION in reserves. Only someone who can't read a balance sheet would call that a crisis.”
In an interview with The New York Times in September, Mamdani said he feels frustrated “with how the language of efficiency and waste and fraud has become coded in some way as if they are of the right, when they should be at the core of any progressive politics."
“One of the key things in ensuring people have faith in local government is that they have faith in the ways in which that budget is being spent,” he said.
What People Are Saying
Matt Rauschenbach, a spokesman for Mamdani, told Newsweek: “The Mayor has been clear: New Yorkers deserve honesty about the budget crisis left behind by the Adams and Cuomo administrations. As we work to clean up years of gross fiscal mismanagement, the Mamdani administration will take a hard look at every dollar — not to hollow out government, but to make sure city services actually work for the people who rely on them. Public goods should be delivered with public excellence, and Mayor Mamdani expects accountability and effectiveness across every part of city government.”
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, in a statement: “Delivering public goods requires public excellence. That means a government that respects New Yorkers by using every dollar wisely. By designating a Chief Savings Officer at every agency, we’re taking direct aim at waste, cutting through bureaucracy, and making city services work. These Chief Savings Officers will help ensure that every dollar we spend is in service of a safer, cleaner, and more affordable city — and that our government meets the standard New Yorkers deserve.”
Former New York City Mayor Eric Adams, on X: “When you promise 'free' everything on Sunday, boldly declare that millionaires and billionaires shouldn’t exist on Monday, and by Tuesday you’re scrambling to fund your giveaways with the very people you wanted gone just yesterday.”
What Happens Next
Under Mamdani’s order, city agents will have 45 days to “identify which city services deliver the strongest results for New Yorkers—and where we can streamline processes and cut waste.”
Update 1/29/26 6:08 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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