New York City Democratic Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s proposed city budget includes $1 million in cuts to veterans services and gets rid of funding for several high‑profile events honoring former service members.
Mamdani’s proposal unveiled on Wednesday has prompted backlash from veterans groups and some City Council members who say the cuts undermine support for those who served.
Why It Matters
New York City is home to tens of thousands of veterans who rely on city services for housing assistance and community support.
Even relatively small budget cuts can have an outsized impact on outreach and programming, particularly as the city grapples with rising housing costs and mental health challenges among former service members.
What To Know
According to city budget documents, the Department of Veterans’ Services budget would drop from about $7.6 million to roughly $6.6 million.
That represents a reduction of more than 13 percent, with funding for veterans‑related events reduced by about $60,000 per year through fiscal 2030.
City officials said they may seek private donations to help cover the cost of events going forward.
“This is a New York City budget proposal cutting roughly $1 million from the city’s Department of Veterans Services at a moment when New York’s 200k+ veterans are also facing federal VA staffing cuts, PACT Act claim backlogs, and the collapse of affordable repayment programs for veteran student loan borrowers,” Michael Ryan, finance expert and founder of MichaelRyanMoney.com, told Newsweek.
“The timing is politically tone-deaf even if the dollar amount is modest relative to a $115 billion city budget.”
Newsweek reached out to Mamdani’s office for comment via email.
How Would Veterans Events Be Affected?
One of the most visible changes under the budget involves various city veteran events.
The proposal includes:
Canceling a planned “Homecoming of Heroes” ticker‑tape paradeAxing city funding for some annual veterans commemorationsReplacing the parade with a lower‑cost “Remembrance Ruck” march, developed with input from veterans organizations
“A new mayor inheriting a $6 billion budget gap has to make cuts somewhere,” Ryan said. “But ‘we cut the veterans parade to save money’ is a political gift to opponents that no fiscal justification fully neutralizes.”
Criticism From Veterans and Lawmakers
Veterans and their advocacy groups have reacted strongly to the proposed cuts.
“It’s a slap in the face to veterans, to New Yorkers and more specifically to service-disabled veterans — people who have sacrificed their minds and their bodies in service to our nation and live in the city,” Osbert Orduna, a service‑disabled Marine Corps veteran, told the New York Post.
City Council Member Frank Morano, who chairs the council’s Committee on Veterans, said he is pushing for more details on which programs would be reduced and what services would be preserved.
“I’d love to see veterans become a much bigger priority for lawmakers at every level of government, not just during commemorative moments, but year round,” Morano told the Post.
What Do Supporters of the Budget Say?
Not all veterans agree with the backlash.
Ryan Graham, former U.S. Air Force service member and chair of the New York City Veterans Advisory Board, defended the administration’s approach, arguing that the large ceremonial events are “fluff,” and resources should go toward housing and mental health.
“I don’t want to see another Kyle or any other veterans take their lives because those services were not there,” Graham said, referring to a high school friend who served and then committed suicide.
What Happens Next
The mayor’s budget proposal must still go through the New York City Council, where lawmakers can negotiate changes.
Next steps include:
Budget hearingsPotential amendments restoring some fundingA final council vote before the fiscal year begins
“In theory, we all want to pay less in taxes and see less government spending. At least we think we do until that spending cut affects something we care about,” Drew Powers, founder of Illinois-based Powers Financial Group, told Newsweek.
“Ticker-tape parades are debatable. What is not debatable is that we already do not spend enough to support our Veterans, so my hope is that real services such as medical care, suicide prevention, and housing services continue and perhaps even expanded.”