(The Center Square) — The U.S. Department of Justice plans to review a “racial equity” plan unveiled by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday, with a top federal prosecutor suggesting that the “fishy” plan could run afoul of federal anti-discrimination laws.
Mamdani on Monday released the city’s first-ever racial equity plan, which links his administration’s “affordability” agenda with social justice after a related report claimed that disinvestment, exclusion from homeownership, unequal access to health care and employment have disproportionately impacted “black and brown” New Yorkers.
“Together, these reports establish a framework for how our city will both measure affordability and plan for the future,” Mamdani said. “These reports make one thing clear: we cannot tackle systemic racial inequity without confronting the affordability crisis head-on, and we cannot solve the cost-of-living crisis without dismantling systemic racial inequity.”
The True Cost of Living Measure, one of the reports released Monday, shows that nearly two-thirds of Big Apple residents don’t earn enough income to cover basic expenses. Nearly 62% of New Yorkers are unable to meet basic living expenses, the report found. The average family needs about $40,000 more per year to make ends meet, according to the report’s authors.
The city’s new Office of Equity and Racial Justice Commissioner Afua Atta-Mensah said Monday that the Mamdani administration’s plan “outlines measurable goals and actionable strategies to advance racial equity, promote justice and create lasting change.”
“Inequity has been embedded in the foundation of our city and nation since their inception; dismantling it requires a collective effort,” she said in remarks. “From housing and healthcare to education and infrastructure, every agency plays a pivotal role in reshaping how government serves New Yorkers.”
But the “equity” plan comes as the Trump administration cracks down on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in New York and other Democratic-led states. President Donald Trump has signed several executive orders over the past year seeking to restrict DEI policies and threatening to withhold federal funding from states that don’t comply with the new directive.
Assistant U.S. Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, who has the DOJ civil rights division, made the announcement on social media, saying Mamdani’s plan sounds “fishy” and possibly “illegal.”
New York has been targeted by the DOJ over its DEI policies in schools and government, with federal agencies threatening to block funding for major infrastructure projects and to pull back educational funding for not complying with the White House’s policies.
Mamdani has also been criticized for requesting funding for the city’s new Office of Racial Equity — including $4.6 million for a commission on a racial equity — as the city wrestles with a projected $5.4 billion budget deficit.
