Statement by New York City Comptroller Brad Lander on President Donald Trump’s Executive Orders
New York, NY – In response to the inauguration and executive actions by President Donald Trump, New York City Comptroller Brad Lander issued the following statement:
“Today’s executive actions will do nothing to bring down the cost of living, make anyone safer, or get government working better for people. Instead, President Trump is scapegoating vulnerable communities, rolling back environmental protections even as Los Angeles burns, and tarnishing the legacy of Dr. King. It’s especially shameful that Mayor Adams is there cheering him on.
“Trump has never stopped smearing and dehumanizing immigrants. Now, he is taking unprecedented action to deploy the military for immigration enforcement. We are the city of immigrants: nearly forty percent of New York City residents are immigrants. Trump’s mass deportation agenda is a family separation policy that will harm the physical and mental health of our residents (including the one million New York City children in mixed status households), the safety of our communities, and the vibrancy of our economy.
“Dismantling programs that seek to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) on Dr. King’s birthday is especially insulting. In the Comptroller’s office, we’re proud to have achieved strong pension fund returns – last year’s outperformance saved the City $1.8 billion, and our pensions are better-funded than ever – while significantly increasing the diversity of our asset managers. Regardless of what happens in Washington, we will not cower or retreat in this work.
“The bogus ‘national energy emergency’ is a ruse that serves to profit Trump’s billionaire friends in the fossil fuel industry. By allowing fossil fuel projects to circumvent crucial environmental regulations and public processes, Trump is fueling the actual climate emergency of an ever-warming planet that just concluded the hottest year on record, even as we watch one of America’s great cities burn. We will not back down from our net zero plan for the City’s pension funds, from our divestment of fossil fuels, from our commitment to retrofit our buildings, or from our innovative plan for Public Solar NYC.
“With today’s actions, the Trump Administration also seeks to define transgender people out of existence. Today’s actions chip away at the civil rights and bodily autonomy we all deserve. New York City is the proud home to Stonewall and the largest LGBTQ+ population in the country, and we won’t go along with Trump’s scapegoating.
“My office will use all the tools at our disposal to push back against executive actions and federal policies that erode the freedoms, undermine the economic stability, or threaten the well-being of New Yorkers. Dr. King would expect no less.”
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