Mamdani quietly funnels another $6.2M in taxpayer dollars to office slammed as ‘propaganda arm’

Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s mid-year budget update adds funding to the Mayor’s Office of Mass Engagement, bringing its current-year budget to $6.3 million. The increase has drawn criticism from a city council member who questions the office’s purpose and argues it should not receive more taxpayer money.

The update adds $1.1 million in undefined spending this fiscal year and $1.7 million in each of the next three years, amounting to $6.2 million in additional funding across the period. The office has been criticised for outreach linked to rent-freeze advocacy and voter participation, while its detailed salary breakdown has not been made public. The city’s revised overall spending plan rose by more than $3 billion from the $126 billion budget adopted in June, prompting concerns from fiscal watchdogs.