Zohran Mamdani, 34, was sworn in as New York City mayor beneath City Hall and publicly sworn in by Sen. Bernie Sanders, with Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez attending. Mamdani pledged fare-free buses and childcare, a rent freeze for rent-stabilized units, and a Department of Community Safety focused on social services. He faces an $8–10 billion budget gap and needs cooperation from state officials and outside boards to implement major initiatives. Nationally, President Trump said he would withdraw federalized National Guard troops from several cities even as roughly 2,500 troops remain in Washington.
Zohran Mamdani Sworn In As NYC Mayor, Pledges Bold Socialist Agenda While Facing Tight Budget And Approval Hurdles
A Socialist Swearing In
Zohran Mamdani, 34, was sworn in as mayor of New York City on New Year's Day in an unconventional setting: the disused City Hall subway station beneath the municipal building. A private, symbolic oath-taking there was followed by a public ceremony above ground where Senator Bernie Sanders (I–Vt.) administered the oath and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D–N.Y.) attended.
Inauguration And Policy Agenda
In his inaugural remarks, Mamdani embraced his democratic-socialist identity and outlined an ambitious set of policy promises. He pledged to make bus service and childcare free, impose a rent freeze on rent-stabilized apartments, and create a Department of Community Safety focused on social-service responses as a complement to traditional policing.
"To those who insist that the era of big government is over, hear me when I say this: No longer will City Hall hesitate to use its power to improve New Yorkers' lives," Mamdani declared. "We will replace the frigidity of rugged individualism with the warmth of collectivism."
Practical Constraints And Political Reality
While the rhetoric was bold, Mamdani faces immediate practical constraints. He must deliver a legally balanced city budget within weeks; his campaign outlined roughly $10 billion in new spending, but the city currently faces an $8–10 billion gap that must be closed first. Funding these promises with higher taxes on wealthy residents and corporations would require cooperation from state lawmakers, many of whom have signaled reluctance to approve local tax increases.
Key proposals such as fare-free transit and a rent freeze also depend on approvals from bodies outside the mayor’s unilateral control, including a state transit authority and the Rent Guidelines Board. Mamdani’s choice of the abandoned City Hall station — originally built and operated by private contractors — served as a symbolic nod to ambitious, large-scale projects but also underscored the complexities of delivering them.
As Reason magazine contributor Katherine Mangu-Ward wrote, "Mamdani can't ruin New York," a view noting that the formal powers of the mayoralty and institutional checks limit how quickly and how far a mayor can convert rhetoric into unilateral action.
National Guard Developments And Washington Presence
On the national front, President Donald Trump announced on Truth Social that he would be withdrawing federalized National Guard troops from Chicago, Los Angeles and Portland following adverse court decisions. The announcement followed a Ninth Circuit order requiring the return of the California National Guard to Governor Gavin Newsom and a U.S. Supreme Court emergency order that blocked the administration from deploying federalized Guard units to support immigration enforcement in Illinois.
Despite those developments, roughly 2,500 National Guard troops remain deployed on the streets of Washington, D.C., drawn from the D.C. Guard and units from ten states with Republican governors, according to WTOP. Their numbers increased after the fatal shooting of a West Virginia National Guard member, and court filings indicate they could remain on patrol into the summer. After months of their presence, some residents say the troops’ routine—often standing and conversing—feels less alarming, though many find the sight of uniformed military personnel performing policing-like duties unsettling.
Additional Items In Brief
Elsewhere: Swiss authorities reported that about 40 people were killed in a fire at a ski-resort bar during New Year's celebrations; investigators have found no evidence so far that the blaze was an act of terrorism. Protests against Iran's government continued, with U.S. officials warning they are prepared to act if the authorities fire on peaceful demonstrators. In California, union-backed organizers are seeking roughly 875,000 signatures to place a proposed one-time 5% wealth tax on the ballot for November 2026; wealthy residents have threatened to leave the state if the measure passes.
Editorial note: The author will compile the publication's Roundup editions while a colleague is on leave.
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