NYC Comptroller Plans Lawsuit Against Trump Administration Over $80.5 Million Withdrawal
The funds that were retrieved were part of grants issued during the Biden administration to reimburse non-federal organizations for their aid to illegal immigrants.
On February 14, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander sent a letter to the city’s legal department urging them to initiate legal action promptly to reclaim $80.5 million allocated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency for housing illegal immigrants.
Lander indicated that this $80.5 million was withdrawn by the federal government from the Shelter and Services Program on February 11 without prior notice. He stated that the Trump administration had ordered the retrieval, claiming that this move compromises the city’s capacity to deliver essential services.
The funds were grants awarded under the Biden administration in 2023 aimed at helping non-federal organizations cover expenses incurred while providing services to illegal immigrants in their communities.
Lander requested that the legal department provide a response by the morning of February 18.
“This is outright theft,” Lander remarked in a post on X. “Elon Musk, lacking any legal authority, illegally confiscated federal funds from New Yorkers.”
The funds were withdrawn following Elon Musk’s accusations, posted on X on February 11, that the city had spent $59 million on lavish hotel stays for illegal immigrants, a claim that city officials have refuted.
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The comptroller is a candidate in the upcoming Democratic primary against Mayor Eric Adams, which is set for June. In a post on X, Lander emphasized that his candidacy represents a stand against former President Donald Trump and is essential for protecting the city from his administration over the next four years.
Lander also expressed criticism of Adams’s recent cooperation with the Trump administration.
“If the Mayor chooses to spend his time promoting President Trump’s agenda instead of fighting for New Yorkers, then my legal actions must continue,” he stated.
The New York Post obtained a correspondence from city Corporation Counsel Muriel Goode-Trufant addressed to Lander, indicating that the mayor’s office plans to initiate legal action by February 21 to reclaim the $80 million.
An anticipated legal challenge against the Trump administration by Adams would mark a notable shift for the mayor, who has faced criticism from Democrats for his amicable relationship with the administration.
The Department of Justice has instructed the U.S. Attorney’s office to dismiss a bribery case involving Adams, who has vowed to cooperate with border czar Tom Homan.
Some Democrats have claimed that these actions suggest an illegal quid pro quo and are calling for the mayor to resign, or for Governor Kathy Hochul to depose him, a power not exercised in nearly a century.
Adams addressed congregants at Maranatha Baptist Church in Queens Village on February 16.
“It is incredible to me that many of our most virtuous critics want me to resign,” he remarked.
“I will not step down, I will rise above.”
