Two Democratic Socialists of America candidates backed by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani are reportedly plotting, before they’ve even been sworn into Congress, to help vote down Department of Homeland Security funding that includes more than $215 million in counter-terrorism grants for New York City.
According to insiders cited by the New York Post, DSA-aligned candidates Darializa Avila-Chevalier and Claire Valdez have been working with congressional “Squad” members on a plan to oppose the DHS budget next year. The goal, sources say, is to build a bloc of socialists in Washington willing to take a hard line against the department — even if it means stripping their own city of security funding.
“They are trying to figure out how to hurt DHS even if it costs NYC millions [of dollars],” one source told the Post. “They don’t care what it costs NYC. They are there to make a point.”
Both candidates are considered heavy favorites to win their House races in November after winning their primaries earlier this year. Avila-Chevalier is running for a seat covering parts of Manhattan and the Bronx. Valdez, currently a state assemblywoman, represents portions of Brooklyn and Queens and is seeking the congressional seat for that district.
At the center of the dispute is the Urban Areas Security Initiative, a federal grant program created in 2003 in direct response to the September 11 attacks. UASI provides nearly $600 million nationally to help high-risk urban areas prevent and respond to terrorism.
The funding fight puts the two candidates at odds with Mamdani himself, who has publicly pushed for the money and criticized the Trump administration for withholding some of it. Mamdani has been joined by Gov. Kathy Hochul and Attorney General Letitia James in demanding the funds be released.
“We are not talking about reports or studies or abstract security proposals,” Mamdani said on September 1. “We are talking about the money needed to fully fund 12 bomb squads across New York. We are talking about the money needed to ensure that in the event of a catastrophic attack, the FDNY can communicate internally and respond effectively. And we are talking about making sure that should New Yorkers ever face a radiological threat, our first responders have the training, the equipment and the capabilities they need to respond. To put it simply, there is no excuse for the federal government to leave the nation’s largest city to shoulder this burden alone.”
Sources say the plan has drawn support from Reps. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota and Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, both members of the progressive “Squad.” Avila-Chevalier and Valdez have reportedly tried to keep the effort quiet to avoid friction with Tascha Van Auken, a fellow DSA member who now heads Mamdani’s office of mass engagement.
“Both of these incoming members know they are piecing together a plan that hurts New York City financially, the safety of first responders, and their own voters — they just don’t care,” a federal legislative source said. “It’s the exact opposite of ‘never forget.'”
If the effort succeeds, New York City would lose funding earmarked for bomb squads, emergency communications and radiological-threat response — even as the same political movement’s own mayor has spent weeks demanding Washington send that money to the city.
