As New York City braces for a major snowstorm, Mayor Zohran Mamdani is facing backlash over identification requirements for residents seeking to work as emergency snow shovelers — a policy critics say conflicts with his opposition to voter ID laws.
The New York City Department of Sanitation outlines strict documentation rules for those applying to join its emergency snow removal workforce. According to the agency’s website, applicants must submit two small photographs measuring between 1 and 1.5 square inches, present two original forms of identification along with photocopies, and provide a Social Security card.
On Saturday, Mamdani encouraged residents to take part in the city’s snow response efforts, urging them to report to local sanitation garages with the necessary paperwork in hand.
“For those who want to do more to help your neighbors and earn some extra cash, you too can become an emergency snow shoveler. Just show up at your local sanitation garage… with your paperwork which is accessible online,” Hizzoner said at a presser Saturday.
Workers hired for snow removal are paid $19.14 per hour, with compensation increasing to $28.71 per hour once they exceed 40 hours in a week, according to the sanitation department.
Mamdani, who is affiliated with the New York chapter of the Democratic Socialists of America, has opposed voter identification laws, including the SAVE Act. The organization has sharply criticized such legislation, labeling it discriminatory.
“Our candidates for office stand firm against racist voter ID laws and secret poll taxes like the ‘SAVE America Act,’” The DSA’s website stated.
The contrast between the city’s hiring requirements and Mamdani’s political stance prompted swift reaction online, where critics accused him of inconsistency.
“This is Jim SNOW 2.0,” Fox News host Jimmy Failla quipped on X.
“No joke. To register to shovel snow in Mamdani’s NYC….for the impending snowstorm, you need two types of identification. Can’t make this up,” X user Casey Cook posted.
“Mamdani’s snow shovellers must be ‘Eligible to work in the United States,’” an X user posted above a gif of Greta Thunberg mouthing “how dare you.”
The controversy unfolds as meteorologists warn that the city could receive up to 24 inches of snow from a powerful blizzard forecast to strike the East Coast on Sunday and Monday.
Forecasters say wind gusts may reach 60 miles per hour, with snowfall rates projected at one to three inches per hour at the height of the storm.
{Matzav.com}
I collect taxes. I report collected taxes. I pay workers, workers’ pay taxes. Voting is free, no one pays to vote. Work is taxed, wages are taxed, get the picture now?
Simple. When it comes to income tax, no chances taken. They need id to tax your income.