According to The New York Post, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s controversial new outreach office — already criticized by opponents as a taxpayer-funded political machine — is now projected to cost New Yorkers more than $53 million, more than 10 times the figure originally disclosed.
The Mayor’s Office of Mass Engagement was initially expected to carry a $5.1 million salary budget as staffing expanded from 14 employees to roughly 40 in recent months.
But during a City Council budget hearing Tuesday, Mamdani budget director Sherif Soliman revealed the full cost of the operation would total roughly $53 million, including an additional $2.8 million earmarked for new hires.
The massive price tag immediately fueled criticism from City Hall watchdogs and political opponents who have questioned whether the office is functioning more like a campaign-style organizing arm than a traditional government agency.
The Post previously reported that several job listings connected to the office offered cushy six-figure salaries while heavily targeting applicants tied to the activist left and the Democrat Socialists of America movement that helped power Mamdani into office.
Mamdani appointed longtime DSA organizer Tascha Van Auken to serve as commissioner of the agency, reinforcing concerns among critics that the office is designed to institutionalize progressive political activism inside city government.
The office has already been heavily involved in organizing efforts surrounding the city’s Rent Guidelines Board hearings, using canvassing operations and volunteer mobilization campaigns to encourage testimony in support of a rent freeze.
Critics argue the effort blurs the line between public governance and political advocacy.
Some insiders have privately raised concerns that the office’s activities could potentially create conflicts of interest by injecting partisan-style organizing tactics into official city operations.
The revelations come as Mamdani continues pushing an aggressively progressive governing agenda that has sharply divided New Yorkers and intensified scrutiny over City Hall spending priorities.
More over at The New York Post:
Mamdani 'propaganda' office revealed to cost NYC taxpayers staggering $53M https://t.co/ItvqU5RwAP pic.twitter.com/WkBQyAiHem
— New York Post (@nypost) June 9, 2026
