New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani is facing sharp backlash for attending a lavish political conference in Puerto Rico just days after his election victory — and amid the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
Rep. Mike Lawler, (R-NY) blasted Mamdani’s decision to join other Democrats at the annual SOMOS Conference in San Juan, saying it shows where his priorities truly lie.
“If Zohran Mamdani is truly serious about helping working families, he wouldn’t be jetting off to a luxury resort the moment he wins an election,” Lawler told Fox News.
According to Politico and City & State, Mamdani is scheduled to attend a cocktail reception hosted by New York Attorney General Letitia James at the event, held at the upscale El Caribe Hilton — a hotel described on its website as an “iconic beachfront paradise.” The property features “17 acres of tropical landscaping, nine restaurants, island-inspired rooms, spa, and oceanfront pool complex, all right on the beach.”
Fox News reported that it obtained an invitation confirming Mamdani’s attendance at the Thursday evening reception. The conference’s itinerary includes multiple luncheons and panels such as “Celebrating Human Services Together” and “Workforce Development Through Rising Communities,” with the final day capped off by a “Toes in the Sand Beachfront Party.”
Lawler didn’t hold back, questioning whether other top Democrats — including Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Gov. Kathy Hochul — planned to join Mamdani at the tropical retreat.
“If so, why? Who’s looking out for New Yorkers while they’re on the beach?” Lawler asked.
He went on to accuse the state’s Democratic leadership of being disconnected from everyday struggles back home, where families continue to face soaring costs and uncertainty amid the ongoing shutdown.
“It’s a disgrace — and why New Yorkers are leaving this state in droves,” Lawler continued. “I’m calling on every reporter covering SOMOS to demand answers from these Democrats. Ask them why they’re partying in Puerto Rico while New Yorkers are suffering through an affordability crisis and a government shutdown. The public deserves to know where their priorities really lie.”
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) was reportedly invited but is not attending, according to Lawler.
The SOMOS conference, which draws lawmakers, union leaders, and lobbyists from across New York, has long been seen as a political power mixer — an unofficial post-election retreat for state and city insiders. Both parties have attended in past years, but this year’s gathering is drawing heightened scrutiny given the economic uncertainty facing the state and nation. The timing couldn’t be worse for Mamdani, a self-described socialist who campaigned on fighting inequality and championing working families.
Mamdani’s victory on Tuesday over Republican Curtis Sliwa and former Gov. Andrew Cuomo made him one of the youngest mayors in modern city history. His campaign was rooted in promises to make housing more affordable, strengthen public services, and stand up to corporate interests — themes that resonated with progressive activists but now appear at odds with his attendance at a tropical political event.
Meanwhile, Democrats attending SOMOS are reportedly in high spirits following their statewide gains and Cuomo’s second blowout loss. According to Politico, the mood this year is far more upbeat than in 2024, when President Donald Trump’s landslide win cast a somber tone over the same conference.
For Mamdani, however, the optics are already proving to be a headache. As the shutdown drags on and thousands of New Yorkers wait for paychecks, the image of their newly elected mayor sipping cocktails on a Caribbean beach may be one that lingers far longer than the conference itself.
The federal government partially shut down at midnight Wednesday, hours after all but three Senate Democrats voted down a short-term funding bill.
The shutdown is the first since December 2018, which saw non-essential government operations cease and tens of thousands of federal employees furloughed or forced to work without pay for 35 days until lawmakers agreed on a stopgap funding measure.
White House Office of Management and Budget Director Russ Vought notified federal department and agency heads shortly after Tuesday’s failed Senate vote to keep the government funded to begin preparations for a shutdown.
“[A]ffected agencies should now execute their plans for an orderly shutdown.” Vought wrote in a memo.
A House-passed bill – backed by virtually all Senate Republicans and President Trump – to keep the government open with funding at current levels until Nov. 21 failed to clear the 60-vote legislative filibuster in the upper chamber by five votes.
In his memo, Vought noted that it’s “unclear how long Democrats will maintain their untenable posture, making the duration of the shutdown difficult to predict.”
Democratic congressional leadership refused to support the GOP measure unless provisions extending pandemic-era healthcare insurance subsidies and reinstating billions of dollars in funding for foreign aid and other programs cut by Trump were included.
The Senate adjourned shortly after the failed vote.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer met with President Trump on Monday.
AP
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said lawmakers would try again Wednesday morning.
“I am hoping there are enough reasonable Democrats over there,” Thune said during an appearance on Fox News. “We picked up 3 tonight … we’re going to vote on it again tomorrow.”
“Hopefully, we’re going to pick up some more and eventually, we’ll get enough to pass this thing and keep the government open.”
Thune told “Jesse Watters Primetime” that he expects Senate Democrats “are going to start cracking because they realize this is a losing hand.”
A New York Times/Siena poll found that 65% of registered voters opposed a government shutdown “even if [Democrats’] demands are not met.”
Among registered Democrats, 43% were against shutting down the government even if the party is unable to win any concessions from Republicans.
Fifty-nine percent of independent voters also opposed a shutdown under any circumstances, as well as 92% of Republicans.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., meets with reporters at the Capitol in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 25, 2025.
Trump, who met with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) on Monday to discuss the looming shutdown, posted several photographs of the meeting on Truth Social as the clock ticked after the failed vote.
The images show the Democratic leaders in the Oval Office, with a couple of “Trump 2028” hats sitting in front of them on Trump’s desk.
The president also posted another mocking, digitally-altered video clip of Jeffries wearing a sombrero, as a mariachi band of Trumps serenaded the Brooklyn Democrat.
Trump and Republicans have accused Democrats of wanting to include “free health care for illegal aliens” in legislation to keep the government open, a claim Democratic leaders have denied.
Earlier Tuesday, the president also teased “irreversible” actions that could be taken, including federal employee layoffs, when the government is shut down.
“We can do things during the shutdown that are irreversible that are bad for them and irreversible by them, like cutting vast numbers of people out, cutting things that they like, cutting programs that they like,” Trump told reporters, referring to Democrats.
Vought instructed federal agencies last week to prepare to permanently dismiss employees in non-essential roles if there’s a shutdown.
Meanwhile, the White House website put up a countdown clock, declaring “Democrat shutdown is imminent” as midnight approached.
A video loop of “Democrats in their own words” describing the negative effects of government shutdowns was also posted on all the White House’s social media accounts.
“This is something that 13 times, when [ Schumer] was the majority leader, we passed short-term continuing resolutions — 13 times — and the Republicans delivered the vote for it,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD) said on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” Tuesday morning. “This is a routine thing. This is not unusual.”
Trump’s White House put a clock on it’s website declaring “Democrat shutdown is imminent.”
Pool/ABACA/Shutterstock
Schumer predicted that Trump and Republicans would face “tremendous” pressure to agree to Democratic demands and reopen the government.
“It’s right now in the Republicans’ court,” the Senate minority leader said at a press conference. “We’ve said this to Trump yesterday. He can easily call up Thune and Johnson and say, ‘Just add the two parts [Democrats] want added to the bill.’”
“The American people are learning how bad this healthcare crisis is and they will put tremendous heat on Republicans to solve it.”
Republicans counter that by voting against the short-term spending bill, it is Democrats that are imperiling benefit programs and potentially public safety.
“Troops won’t be paid. TSA agents won’t be paid. The WIC program — the Women Infants and Children Nutrition program — and other food services will be delayed,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said on CNBC. “FEMA services won’t be provided. We have two hurricanes off the coast of the United States right now. I mean, we’re in the middle of hurricane season. This is serious stuff.”
Members of Congress, political appointees in the Trump administration and all essential congressional and federal employees — including postal carriers, air traffic controllers and others — would all be paid to work during a shutdown.
Federal benefits — including Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid, will continue to be distributed, along with the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program providing food stamps.
US military service members, non-essential federal employees and White House staff would only be paid retroactively once the shutdown is over.
No comments: