House Majority Leader Steve Scalise suggested Wednesday that socialist New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is behind the Democrats’ decision to keep the federal government closed.
At a Capitol Hill news conference, Scalise said, “You really want to know who’s calling the shots in the Democrat Party? You saw it on the stage this past weekend. [Sen.] Bernie [Sanders] and [Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez] on the stage with the new leader of the Democratic Party, Mamdani.”
“Maybe Chuck Schumer’s waiting for Mamdani to let him know when he can open the government back up again,” he added.
“Because they just need to show their radical base that they’re having a fight with Donald Trump! That’s all it’s been about from the beginning,” Scalise said.
🚨 WOW! Rep. Steve Scalise is so mad he’s YELLING at Chuck Schumer for inflicting suffering nationwide 🔥
“Maybe Chuck Schumer’s waiting for ZOHRAN MAMDANI to let him know when he can open the government back up again!”
“They ADMIT there is suffering – but they’re doing it for… pic.twitter.com/pf42Pkyukg
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) October 29, 2025
Ocasio-Cortez and Sanders — who both describe themselves as democratic socialists — held a well-attended rally for Mamdani in Queens over the weekend.
Wow. What an event. Thank you to the thousands who packed a stadium in Queens, NY to say: New York is not for sale. Together we are going to take on the oligarchs and the political establishment and elect Zohran as the next mayor of New York City. pic.twitter.com/Lhjk8p7DYI
— Bernie Sanders (@BernieSanders) October 27, 2025
On Monday, House Speaker Mike Johnson highlighted House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ recent decision to endorse Mamdani.
“We saw our clearest sign yet that this radical insurgent movement in the Democrat Party is succeeding, and they are ending what has always been known as the Democrat Party in America,” Johnson told reporters in the Capitol.
“After a months-long pressure campaign from the far left, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries finally relented. He gave in, and he gave his endorsement to the socialist running to be mayor of New York City.”
The Democrat Party has JOINED WITH its radical Marxist, ANTI-AMERICAN base.
There’s no longer room in their party for moderates or centrists — only extremists who praise Hamas, call to abolish borders, defund the police, and “seize the means of production” which ultimately hurts… pic.twitter.com/UMyd8snpzT
— Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) October 27, 2025
Johnson called Mamdani a Marxist, citing various items the Democratic candidate supports.
His agenda includes “free bus service, universal child care, and his signature issue: a freeze on rent increases for the city’s 1 million rent-regulated apartments. Opponents say a rent freeze would harm landlords, who have also been hit hard by inflation,” New York affiliate WNBC-TV reported last month.
“Perhaps nowhere has the ‘communist’ label come up more than in relation to Mamdani’s proposal to set up a pilot program for city-run grocery stores,” the outlet said.
Mamdani reaffirmed this as his agenda at Sunday’s rally in Queens.
Mamdani Rallys For His “Free” Stuff
“Build housing for everyone… Eliminate the fare on every single bus line… Create universal childcare at no cost to parents.” https://t.co/PJgutdj5yJ pic.twitter.com/jNdvgOlEOp
— Mr Producer (@RichSementa) October 27, 2025
Asked during a mayoral debate earlier this month how he would pay specifically for free buses, Mamdani answered that he could tax the rich and corporations more.
MODERATOR: “But the question is how you’ll make [buses] free.”
MAMDANI: I’m going to raise taxes by $9 billion. pic.twitter.com/pS0qQC6PEB
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) October 17, 2025
The nonpartisan Tax Foundation already ranked New York state the worst tax climate for business growth in the U.S.
Its top individual income tax rate is 10.9 percent, on top of the 3.9 percent the city of New York also charges, which is on top of the federal income tax rate of 37 percent.
The Empire State lost over 500,000 of its residents in recent years, according to the New York Post.
The Wall Street Journal’s Allysia Finley noted, “A report by the nonprofit Citizens Budget Commission this summer found that New York’s share of the nation’s millionaires fell 31% between 2010 and 2022. The state and city would have collected some $13 billion more in personal income-tax revenue in 2022 had the share of millionaires kept pace with other states.”
The Republicans’ push to tie the Democrats firmly with Mamdani is backed up by polling.
A Gallup survey released last month found that 57 percent of Americans view socialism negatively, while 39 percent view it positively, which has stayed roughly flat over the last 15 years.
Among Democrats, 66 percent view socialism positively, up from 50 percent in 2010, meaning that the Mamdani, AOC, and Sanders wing of the party is gaining strength.
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