Democratic Socialist members of the city council bragged about their major budget “victories” even though they voted against the spending plan – and now some sources are calling this misplaced boasting “hilarious hypocrisy.”
City Council members Tiffany Caban, Alex Aviles and Shahana Hanif were the only dissenting Big Apple lawmakers to complain that too much money was being spent on the NYPD in the $112.4 billion 2025 budget, which was crafted by City Hall and Council leaders at the last minute in late June.
But that didn’t stop Hanif from sending two emails to her Brooklyn constituents in the following weeks, touting the nearly $14 million in “capital budget wins” she claimed to have secured for District 39 and her “incredible partnership” with Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, according to emails obtained by The Post.
“We are more than grateful for her close collaboration,” Hanif wrote of the speaker.
Hanif’s negative vote, however, went against Adams, causing the council member to lose any chance of getting the discretionary funds doled out by the president in each budget.
For her part, Aviles credited helping find permanent housing for a Sunset Park community organization that helps immigrants.
“Proud to have played a key role in securing $1 million so @MixtecaOrg could move into a better space,” she wrote on X.
The same day, Caban sent an email to the district taking credit for restoring library funding in the battle with Mayor Eric Adams, who is not related to the president.
“My colleagues and I on the City Council fought against these budget cuts alongside the Queens Public Library. And thanks to everyone who showed up to rallies, called City Hall, and rallied for our libraries, we WON!” the email read.
None of the left-wing lawmakers, however, pointed out that they had actually voted against the spending deal that made the funding possible.
“These three idiots played politics, which is easy, but they didn’t want to do the real hard work when it came to the budget,” a council source said.
“They voted no, then rushed to their constituents to claim credit, putting their constituencies at a disadvantage just to show virtue and appease a fringe group of left-wing anarchists — it’s hilarious hypocrisy.”
Another council source said: “There is a long history of politicians decrying pork unless it is for their district, but politicians taking a victory lap for funding they voted against is exactly the kind of hypocritical behaviour the public hates.”
Sources at the time indicated that members of the Democratic Socialists of America had considered presenting their own budget, which never came to fruition.
A spokesperson for Hanif told the Post she voted against the budget because it would pass anyway, but did not discuss any financial victories she had achieved.
“I voted against it because my constituents strongly opposed the mayor’s deep cuts to early childhood education, K-12 public schools, CUNY and parks,” Hanif said in a statement released by the spokesperson.
Representatives for Aviles and Caban did not respond to a request for comment.
Voters in Hanif district were surprised by this unbridled politics.
“This is extremist political behavior that is unscrupulous and consistent with the way Hanif does everything,” said one voter, who asked not to be named because of his job.
“It doesn’t surprise me at all that she talks out of both sides of her mouth.”
Stella Belenkaya told the Post she was not at all surprised by Hanif, who she said ignored the 64-year-old’s request to clean up offensive graffiti in the neighborhood.
“The fact that she didn’t react, that she didn’t vote for the budget and that she advocated for no police, that’s part of why I don’t want to vote for her,” Belenkaya said.
