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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani sidestepped a question Monday about requiring two forms of ID to get paid for shoveling in the city — but not for voting — and said he was following the law.
CNN’s Jake Tapper read a social media post from House Republicans questioning why New York City required two forms of ID to shovel, but no ID to vote.
“Here in New York City, we follow the law,” Mamdani responded. “And it’s federal law to require certain forms of identification in order for someone to actually be paid for this kind of a job. And so that’s what we’re asking for — two forms of identification. It’s a long-standing city program; it’s a long-standing city policy. And thanks to the hard work of DSNY, they’ve expanded their capacity for how many New Yorkers they can supervise at a time, now up to 1,800 per shift.”
The mayor did not touch on the voter ID portion of the question.
Zohran Mamdani, mayor of New York, during a Bloomberg Television interview at City Hall in New York, on Jan. 29, 2026. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Democrats have come out against the GOP’s Safeguarding American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act in recent weeks, which would require showing ID to vote, with some calling it “Jim Crow 2.0.”
Tapper asked Mamdani about President Donald Trump’s comments about the snow shoveling call as well.
“It’s so crazy. You know, the mayor of New York — and he’s a very nice person, I’ve met him —b ut his ideology is not—not too good. But, we’re having a massive snowstorm right now, and I’ve heard that he’s asked people to come out and help shovel the snow. Okay, so you get a shovel and you start shoveling, right? What the hell, you’re not going to help too much, but you can help,” Trump said.
Zohran Mamdani speaks to members of the media at Flushing Meadows Corona Park in the Queens borough of New York on Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2025. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
DAVID MARCUS: MAMDANI’S JIM CROW 2.0 SNOW REMOVAL OPERATION REQUIRES ID
Tapper asked about Trump “dismissing” the snow shoveling idea and about how often the two talk to one another.
“I will keep those conversations private. However, what I will tell you is that the conversations that I have had in the past with the President — including that in the Oval Office, as he had shared right after — were always focused on New York City and how we can make sure that we are actually helping New York City,” Mamdani responded.
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks to reporters during a news conference in New York on Feb. 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
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Mamdani argued that the shoveler program allowed sanitation workers to work the plows and salt spreaders.
“And frankly, this emergency snow shoveler program is one that allows every single sanitation worker to be on the plows, to be on the salt spreaders, to get this city back up and running. It’s why they’ve been able to disperse about 50 million pounds of salt, and then these snow shovelers are the ones who supplement the work, frankly, of the department,” the mayor continued.
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