Prominent hip-hop artist Cardi B has recently voiced her strong disapproval of Mayor Eric Adams’ latest announcements pertaining to harsh budget reductions.
In her recent comments, she warned the public about an impending surge in criminal activities as a direct result of Mayor Adams’ decision to decrease the New York Police Department’s budget, among other adjustments. These cuts, amounting to 5%, are the first in a series of three substantial budget reductions proposed by Adams.
The purpose behind these measures is to account for the city’s immense expenditure on accommodating an influx of asylum-seekers who have been pouring into the city. Regardless, the Grammy award-winning Cardi B, who hails from the Bronx, seemed indifferent to the stated reasons in a video that resurfaced on various online platforms.
‘How will this affect my near and dear ones who live in less-affluent neighborhoods?’ Cardi B queried during the recorded session. Originating from the Bronx borough herself, she conveyed her deep-seated concerns about how the variable outcomes of the new policy could adversely impact her home community.
She pre-empted a vast public outcry against an already prominent perception of New York’s grimy nature that could worsen with the proposed budget cutbacks. The successful rapper painted a bleak image for the city, foreseeing it becoming filthier due to the intended fiscal reductions.
Cardi B made very public her criticism of Eric Adams in a now widely circulated video recording, expressing her dissent on the planned fiscal adjustments in New York City. Substantiating her claim, she pointed towards the planned cuts in public safety services, particularly the police department, predicting a consequent leap in criminal activities.
The cancellation of the five upcoming police academy intakes, a move which puts the city’s police force at its smallest size in thirty years, was specifically brought into focus.
Facilitating this alarming vision, the actress also pointed towards major cutbacks within the city’s sanitation department which may lead to the city becoming infested with rodents.
This initiative from Adams is perceived necessary by the administration as funds need to be recovered after taking on the cost burden of the recent wave of immigrants arriving in New York City. Sadly for the city dwellers, many other departments are also likely to face the chopping block due to the budget trimming.
Mayor Adams envisions a wide-ranged plan, encompassing a significant reduction of $32 million from the sanitation department’s budget. Additionally, fire department services are projected to face a $74 million reduction, and possibly more concerning is a whopping $547 million planned cutback from the Department of Education.
The mayor’s envisage indeed casts a long shadow, even affecting the simplest aspects such as reducing the number of street garbage cans in multiple boroughs.
Further amplifying the shock, 34 renowned cultural institutions, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of Natural History, face imminent fiscal reductions.
These penalties, under Mayor Adams’ administration, translate into a nearly $6 million decrease in the city’s Cultural Institutions Group budget. The rap artist maintains her stand that crime rates will ‘soar’ in the wake of Adams’ decision to slash the NYPD budget.
The costs related to housing and assisting the ongoing influx of migrants are also set to see a decrease by it’s one-fifth. One of the practical methods the administration is considering for this downsizing involves cutting services and workforce. Hiring freezes are also looming over several resident-serving departments including law, education, aging, health, and parks, alongside various others.
The mayor justifies these drastic measures by stating that each city agency was responsible for identifying their own budget savings to help achieve a balanced budget as per legal requirements. The aim was to manage this while causing negligible disruptions to services.
The mayor’s stern statement also hinted at the challenges ahead: an uphill battle with rising migrant costs, dwindling tax revenue growth, and diminishing COVID-19 stimulus funding.
Despite the strong justification, Mayor Adams’ plan has faced intense criticism from notable figures such as Patrick Hendry, the incumbent president of the Police Benevolent Association. Hendry has labelled the proposed financial measures a ‘disaster’ for all New Yorkers who value safety within their communities.
He expresses his concern pointing out how the already stretched police department will face even more strain, rolling back staffing sizes to a level not seen since the crime waves in the ’80s and ’90s.
Cardi B, in her heartfelt video message, echoed similar concerns and also had sharp words for the federal administration, specifically targeting President Biden.
She accused the President of prioritizing foreign wars in Ukraine and Israel while her home city, New York, continues to face serious problems. The hip-hop star illustrated her frustration by highlighting the stark contrast in the administration’s apparently conflicting funding choices.
Unfavorable opinions are rippling through various sectors with Mayor Adams’ proposal. In particularly notable remarks, Cardi B questioned why a $100 million reduction exists for vital services such as schools, libraries, public safety, and sanitation in New York City.
Meanwhile, rhetoric pointing towards funding potential wars abroad fills the political discourse. She holds staunchly that the U.S. lacks the financial capacity to undertake overseas military commitments when it is struggling to adequately fund vital services domestically.
Her pleading message closes with an incisive question, taking aim at the federal government: ‘How is there a $100 million budget cut in New York City for vital public services, and yet Joe Biden is suggesting we have the financial capability to fund two wars?’ she posited. Her quarrel is not solely with the city’s funding challenges; she extends her critique to national spending priorities, which she perceives to be gravely misplaced amid local financial crises.