Nearly 865,000 New Yorkers received cash assistance in 2025 as city leaders expanded social-service spending and pursued new taxes on wealthy property owners
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Chief
NEW YORK CITY (Worthy News) – New York City distributed more than $2.6 billion in cash assistance to nearly 865,000 residents during 2025, marking a dramatic expansion of the city’s welfare system as concerns grow over taxes, spending, and the potential departure of high-income residents.
A Fox News Digital review of city records found that 864,999 people received cash assistance last year—the highest number in approximately three decades. The total amount distributed rose 71% from the $1.57 billion paid in 2022.
The figures cover direct cash assistance and do not include the full cost of food benefits and other social programs. When Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits were included, New York City distributed more than $7 billion in cash and food assistance during 2024, according to the Fox News analysis.
The rapid increase represents a striking reversal from the welfare reforms implemented under former Republican Mayor Rudy Giuliani, whose administration emphasized work requirements and reduced the number of residents receiving public assistance.
Spending Rises Under Mamdani Administration
Mayor Zohran Mamdani inherited much of the city’s expanding welfare system from previous administrations, but his policies indicate that social service spending will continue to rise.
The New York City Council approved a record $125.8 billion budget for fiscal year 2027 in June. City leaders promoted the spending plan as an effort to lower living costs, expand economic opportunities, and preserve essential municipal services.
The budget reportedly allocates approximately $14.63 billion to the Human Resources Administration, the agency responsible for administering cash assistance, food benefits, and numerous social service programs.
The increased spending comes as Mamdani openly advances a “tax-the-rich” agenda targeting wealthy residents and owners of high-value properties.
In April, the Democratic socialist mayor announced a new annual tax on luxury homes valued at more than $5 million that are owned by people who do not live in the city full-time. Mamdani promoted the policy while standing outside a Manhattan building containing billionaire hedge fund executive Ken Griffin’s $238 million penthouse.
“When I ran for mayor, I said I was going to tax the rich,” Mamdani said. “Well, today we’re taxing the rich.”
Griffin condemned the mayor’s decision to single him out publicly, calling the video “creepy,” “frightening,” and inappropriate for a political leader.
Concerns Grow Over Shrinking Tax Base
Critics warn that continually expanding government assistance while increasing taxes on businesses and affluent residents could weaken the tax base needed to sustain the city’s enormous budget.
New York City depends heavily on a relatively small group of high-income taxpayers. Their departure could leave middle-class families and businesses carrying a greater share of the financial burden while city spending continues to climb.
Recent reporting has indicated that New York’s share of America’s millionaires fell from 12.7% in 2010 to 8.7% in 2022, intensifying concerns that punitive tax policies are encouraging wealthy residents to relocate.
Yet the extraordinary growth in welfare enrollment raises deeper questions about whether New York’s policies are helping residents escape poverty—or making an ever-larger portion of the population dependent upon government assistance.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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