Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., warned Friday on Newsmax that cutting thousands of officers from the New York City Police Department – as Mayor Zohran Mamdani has indicated he plans to do – would create "major problems" for the city as it nears the 25th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.

Appearing on "Wake Up America," Lawler said public safety and counterterrorism must take precedence over progressive budget priorities in the nation's largest city.

"Public safety, counterterrorism, is paramount," he said. "Cutting the New York City Police Department by 5,000 officers at a time when police officers are leaving the New York City Police Department in droves because of the way they've been treated, because of the criminal justice reforms that have been put in place in New York, where if you're a criminal, you can act with impunity and be released back out on the streets before the officers even have a chance to file the paperwork – these are major problems."

Lawler contrasted New York with other cities that have struggled after reducing police ranks.

"You look at what has happened in a city like Minneapolis, where they only have a little over 1,000 officers, it's insane," he said. "New York City is the largest city in the world. We're approaching the 25th anniversary of 9/11."

Now is not the time to shrink the NYPD, Lawler argued, especially with heightened security concerns tied to the upcoming milestone anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

He also took aim at Mamdani's past support for cutting law enforcement, saying the current budget proposal reflects that ideology in action.

"Ultimately, Zohran Mamdani said he believed in defunding the police," Lawler said. "He championed that as a public policy measure, and clearly, he's acting on it by cutting the New York City Police Department in this budget."

Beyond public safety, the New York Republican predicted fiscal fallout in Albany, arguing that Democrat leaders will turn to tax hikes to address budget gaps.

"As I said a while back, mark my words, [Gov.] Kathy Hochul and the Democrats in the state legislature will raise taxes," Lawler said. "And Mamdani is not stupid. He's using this as leverage. He's using this as a bludgeon against Democrats who are going to be on the ballot this year."

He added that New Yorkers are already strained by high taxes and warned that further increases would hurt homeowners and working families.

"So, while Zohran Mamdani campaigned on affordability, the fact is he is seeking to raise taxes and make New York unaffordable for almost everybody, while we Republicans in control down in Washington are actually cutting taxes, and the average New Yorker is going to see a $4,000 tax cut on their federal income taxes when they go to file this year because of the work that we did," Lawler said.

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