Tipsheet

Mamdani's Plan for Small Businesses Is Really Another Expansion of Government

Amy Curtis
Amy Curtis  |  December 01, 2025 2:30 PM

On one hand, we're glad this latest video from Zohran Mamdani doesn't involve him begging working-class New Yorkers for more money. On the other hand, this video seems almost too good to be true, because he sounds almost like a capitalist.

We'll set aside how absolutely cringe the video is, and instead focus on the substance.

"Small businesses employ nearly half of all New Yorkers in the private sector," Mamdani says. "They keep the city running. But the last four years have been hard. We've seen the dollar slice go extinct, storefront after storefront close, and had a mayor in Eric Adams who has ignored the struggles of small businesses."

As Mayor, Mamdani is vowing to "make it faster, easier, and cheaper for small businesses to get started and stay open."

"First, we're going to cut fines and fees for small businesses by 50 percent," Mamdani continues. "Regulations are but small businesses have to navigate more than 6,000 of them with far fewer resources than the big chains."

So far, so good, right? Well, then the other shoe drops.

"That's why, as mayor, I'll appoint a Mom & Pop Czar with a clear goal of making it easier to run a small business," Mamdani adds.

There it is. More government.

"Next, we're going to accelerate permits and applications. The Mom & Pop Czar will coordinate with agencies to speed up turnaround times, cut red tape, and let New Yorkers start businesses sooner," Mamdani says. "Because you shouldn't have to fill out 24 forms and go through seven agencies to start a barbershop."

"But most of all, we're putting our money where our mouth is," Mamdani continues, "by increasing funding for small business support programs by 500 percent. We're going to invest $20 million in our Business Express Service Teams, which pairs small businesses with a city case manager that helps them navigate permits and regulations, as well as connecting them with programs that provide them with financial and legal assistance."

"Right now," Mamdani says, "only three percent of businesses are using these programs. We want that number to skyrocket. The only thing more New York than an egg and cheese are the small businesses that make them."

Some are very skeptical of this plan.

"This has corruption written all over it," the user noted.

We have to assume DEI and woke progressive politics will play a role in which businesses get a boost and which ones don't.

They can't be happy about a lot of this, can they?

Bodega owners warned that Mamdani's plan for government-run grocery stores would drive them all out of business.

Yeah, what about the ones in White neighborhoods?

If he means it, great. We suspect he only means it in certain circumstances.

The entire post reads:

This is done only to make it easier for illegal aliens and other foreigners to “set up shop” without having to jump through hoops. Established businesses didn’t have that luxury, but now Mamdani is increasing startup cash for “new businesses” (whose businesses?) and removing regulations or waving fines for things that I’m guessing these extremely un-assimilated demographics would have no ability to do, much less interest in doing. 

Cleanliness standards, worker hygiene standards, temperature control/food safety, inspections, record-keeping…something tells me that Mamdani isn’t rugpulling his Marxist base. He’s rewarding it. 

Because Marxism is not an ideology to people with no intellectual history. It means “free stuff and doing whatever I want.” That’s why the foreign-born population elected him mayor and that’s what he’s doing here. 

The absolutely last thing you need is less oversight and regulation of people who are navigating civilization for the first time.


This is all true, and likely where this program is headed.

Also a very valid point.

We'll see how this plays out.