Trump, Mamdani to meet in Oval Office as mayor-elect pushes affordability agenda
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(WASHINGTON) — Friday will mark the first time that New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and President Donald Trump will meet face to face following a war of words between the two leaders throughout Mamdani’s campaign and election.
And while Trump announced the meeting with an insult against the progressive Democrat’s policies, Mamdani has maintained that he is looking forward to the White House meeting to discuss his agenda, including tackling a “national crisis of affordability.”
“I’m not concerned about this meeting. I view this meeting as an opportunity for me to make my case,” Mamdani told reporters Thursday at a news conference.
Trump announced the meeting on Wednesday night on social media, repeating the “communist” label he’s been using against Mamdani, who is a member of the Democratic Socialist group, and putting his middle name, Kwame, in quotes.
Trump told reporters on Sunday that he was going to “work something out,” and meet with the mayor-elect in Washington.
“We want to see everything work out well for New York,” he told reporters.
Mamdani has been a vocal critic of the administration over its policies, including increased deportations, cuts to government agencies and attacks on cities run by Democrats.
On election night, the 34-year-old mayor-elect spoke directly to Trump in his acceptance speech and told him to “turn the volume up,” as he vowed to protect immigrants.
“So hear me, President Trump, when I say this: To get to any of us, you will have to get through all of us,” he said.
Since Mamdani won the June Democratic primary, Trump has spoken out against the state assemblyman, at one point threatening to deport Mamdani, who was born in Uganda, moved to New York as a child, and became a naturalized U.S. citizen in 2018.
“We’re going to be watching that very carefully. And a lot of people are saying, he’s here illegally,” Trump claimed with no evidence in July.
The president has also threatened to withhold federal funding to New York if Mamdani won the election.
Mamdani’s critics have raised skepticism about his proposals, calling them far-fetched and improbable, as some would require state approval. He has also come under fire for his past comments criticizing the NYPD and Israeli government actions in the Gaza conflict.
The mayor-elect has apologized for his comments against the department and vowed to fight for Jewish New Yorkers, while still being critical of the Israeli government’s polices during the conflict.
Mamdani has also repeatedly brushed aside the threats and said he will continue to speak out against the administration’s conservative policies.
“His threats are inevitable,” Mamdani told ABC News a day after the election. “This has nothing to do with safety, it has to do with intimidation.”
At the same time, Mamdani has said he was open to talking with Trump, especially when it comes to affordability issues, noting that Trump won his re-election promising to bring down rising prices.
“I have many disagreements with the president. I intend to make it clear that I will work with him,” Mamdani said Thursday.
The mayor-elect won the election on a campaign to help New Yorkers with costs, with proposals such as raising the income tax on New Yorkers who earn over a million dollars a year, providing free child care to parents with kids as early as six weeks old, and free public buses.
Following Mamdani’s victory and other key wins by Democrats, Trump has said in social media posts and news conferences that he and the Republicans are the party working to lower costs.
“We’re fighting for an economy where everyone can win, from the cashier starting first job to a franchisee opening his first location to the young family in a drive through line,” he told a crowd in Pennsylvania on Monday.
-ABC News’ Aaron Katersky and Tonya Simpson contributed to this report
(WASHINGTON) — After a week of fast-moving shakeups at the nation’s health agency, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. will come before the powerful Senate Finance Committee, which has oversight over his department, on Thursday for hours of questioning that is sure to center on his vaccine policy.
It comes a week after the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) significantly narrowed access to the COVID-19 vaccine, a move that precipitated a public fallout and ousting of the newly installed director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Susan Monarez. Four top CDC officials also resigned in protest.
The new FDA approval for COVID shots allows for people who are aged 65 and older to get the vaccine, or younger Americans who have an underlying condition that puts them at a higher risk of severe illness from the virus.
Public health officials and pharmacist groups have said the change will make it harder for young and healthy people to get the vaccine — should they still choose to — and raises questions about where they can get it or whether insurance will cover it.
Thursday will be the first time Kennedy has faced questions from senators since May, when he testified before a Senate committee and a House committee, defending the massive cuts to the department’s workforce carried out in April.
Kennedy is expected to tout the overhauls at HHS so far, which he has said are aimed at eliminating bloated bureaucracy and conflicts of interest at public health agencies that get in the way of “gold-standard science.”
In a statement, HHS spokesperson Andrew Nixon said Kennedy will use the hearing to “reaffirm his commitment to Make America Healthy Again: restoring gold-standard science at HHS, empowering patients with more transparency, choices and access to care, and reestablishing trust in public health.”
While Republicans like Finance Committee Chairman Mike Crapo will attempt to keep the focus on chronic disease and Kennedy’s “Make America Healthy Again” agenda, Democrats and even some Republicans are expected to push Kennedy for answers on the FDA’s latest change as well as an upcoming CDC meeting on vaccines, which could lead to more changes to the nation’s vaccine policy.
The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), which discusses vaccine data and makes recommendations for which vaccines Americans should get and when, is going to weigh in on the FDA’s latest change, further informing insurance companies and pharmacies of how to carry out the policy.
But ACIP is also going to discuss a slate of different vaccines, including the COVID vaccine; hepatitis B vaccines; the measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (MMRV) vaccine; and the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) vaccine.
In June, Kennedy replaced all 17 sitting members of the committee with his own hand-selected members, including some who have expressed vaccine-skeptic views fervently sought to discredit the safety and efficacy of mRNA COVID vaccines.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Republican Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, who sits on the Senate Finance Committee, said he had spoken to other members of his caucus who agreed that they needed to investigate what potential changes Kennedy and the CDC committee were weighing to the childhood vaccine recommendations.
“The issue is about children’s health, and there are rumors, allegations, that children’s health, which is at issue here, might be endangered by some of the decisions that are purported to be made. I don’t know what’s true,” Cassidy said. “I know that we need to get there. And I’ve talked to members of my Republican Caucus, several of them. They’ve agreed with me that we need to get at it.”
Cassidy, who pushed Kennedy during his confirmation hearings to issue support for vaccines and publicly struggled over his vote for him, has tasked the committee he chairs, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP), to do “oversight” of Monarez’ ousting, he wrote on X last week.
Cassidy maintained that he isn’t “presupposing someone is right or wrong.” “I just know we’ve got to figure it out,” Cassidy said.
Cassidy has also called for the CDC meeting to be postponed until “significant oversight has been conducted,” citing “serious allegations” about the “meeting agenda, membership and lack of scientific process.”
Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, who is on the HELP committee with Cassidy, told reporters on Wednesday that she is “concerned” and “alarmed” by Monarez’s firing.
“I know that the president has the right to fire whomever he wishes when it comes to that kind of appointment, but I don’t see any justification for it,” Collins said.
Monarez, who was in the job for only a month, was pushed out after she declined to fire top officials and support Kennedy’s vaccine policy changes in a meeting with the secretary early last week, a source familiar with her conversations with the secretary told ABC News.
“When CDC Director Susan Monarez refused to rubber-stamp unscientific, reckless directives and fire dedicated health experts, she chose protecting the public over serving a political agenda. For that, she has been targeted,” Monarez’s attorneys Mark Zaid and Abbe Lowell said in a statement late last week.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters President Donald Trump had fired Monarez because she “was not aligned with the president’s mission to make America healthy again.”
“It was President Trump who was overwhelmingly reelected on November 5,” Leavitt said. “This woman has never received a vote in her life, and the president has the authority to fire those who are not aligned with his mission.”
Other CDC officials who followed Monarez out the door included:
Deb Houry, Chief Medical Officer and Deputy Director for Program and Science Dr. Dan Jernigan, Director of the National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases Dr. Demetre Daskalakis, Director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Dr. Jennifer Layden, Director for the Office of Public Health Data, Surveillance, and Technology. The officials cited the political climate and a refusal to accept science that didn’t align with Kennedy’s beliefs.
Daskalakis, in an interview on ABC News’ “This Week”, said he thought the changes Kennedy has so far made are “the tip of the iceberg.”
In addition to the recent FDA changes for the COVID vaccine, Kennedy has also canceled up to $500 million in research and development for mRNA vaccines and changed the COVID vaccine recommendations for children and pregnant women.
“I mean, from my vantage point as a doctor who’s taken the Hippocratic oath, I only see harm coming. I may be wrong. But based on what I’m seeing, based on what I’ve heard with the new members of the Advisory Committee for Immunization Practices, or ACIP, they’re really moving in an ideological direction where they want to see the undoing of vaccination,” Daskalakis said.
Kennedy, when he testified in his confirmation hearings to be health secretary in January, denied that he was anti-vaccine and said he supports “the childhood schedule” for vaccinations.
“I am pro-vaccine. I am going to support the vaccine program. I want kids to be healthy, and I’m coming in here to get rid of the conflicts of interest within the agency, make sure that we have gold standard, evidence-based science,” Kennedy said.
When pressed by Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, Kennedy committed to supporting the measles and polio vaccines.
“Senator, I support the measles vaccine, I support the polio vaccine. I will do nothing as HHS secretary that makes it difficult or discourages people from taking either of those vaccines,” Kennedy said.
(WASHINGTON) — Speaker of the House Mike Johnson defended labeling this weekend’s “No Kings” rallies opposing President Donald Trump as “hate America” rallies, arguing that he was not referring to Democrats themselves but the message of the protesters.
“Just on this notion that these are, ‘hate America’ rallies — and you not only talked about anarchists, antifa advocates, pro-Hamas wing — you said this is the modern Democratic Party,” ABC News’ “This Week” co-anchor Jonathan Karl asked, referring to comments Johnson made last week. “But I remember not that long ago what you said after the murder of Charlie Kirk when you said that we should view fellow Americans, not as our enemies, but as our fellow countrymen.”
“I’ve never called anybody an enemy,” Johnson said, but claimed that “there were a lot of hateful messages” during Saturday’s protests.
“I mean, we have video and photos of pretty violent rhetoric calling out the president, saying fascists must die and all the rest,” he added. “So it’s not about the people, it’s about the message.”
Pressed by Karl about Johnson likening anarchists, antifa and Hamas to the modern Democratic Party, Johnson defended his remarks.
“I never said it was the whole Democratic Party, but you and I have to acknowledge the reality,” Johnson said before turning his criticism to New York City’s Democratic mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani.
“Look at what’s happening in New York. They’re about to elect an open socialist Marxist as the mayor of America’s largest city. There’s a rise of Marxism in the Democratic Party. It’s an objective fact, and no one can deny it,” he said.
Mamdani has previously stated he is not a “communist,” as Trump has called him. He identifies as a democratic socialist and has repeatedly claimed that label.
Johnson also argued the “No Kings” branding of the nationwide protests was ironic.
“If President Trump was a king, the government would be open right now. If President Trump was a king, they would not have been able to engage in that free speech exercise out on the (National) Mall,” he said.
Here are more highlights from Johnson’s interview:
On not yet swearing in Democratic Rep.-elect Adelita Grijalva Karl: When are you going to swear in Representative-elect Adelita Grijalva
Johnson: As soon as we get back to legislative session, when Chuck Schumer allows us to turn the lights back on.
Karl: Why haven’t you done already?
Johnson: Because this is the way the institution works. I’m following the Pelosi precedent, by the way.
…
Karl: And what about the Johnson precedent? I mean, you swore in two Republicans the day after their election.
Johnson: I’m happy to answer. I’m happy to answer. Pelosi precedent — Pat Ryan. Joe Sempolinski. They were elected during an August recess. So 21 days later, when the House returned to regular legislative session, they were administered the oath. That’s what we’re doing. We’re not in session right now. Rep. Grijalva was elected after the House was out of session. As soon as we returned the legislative session, as soon as the Democrats decide to turn the lights back on so we can all get back here, I will administer the oath —
Karl: You could swear in tomorrow, right?
Johnson: No. Not tomorrow. No, we couldn’t, we wouldn’t. There was an exception for two Floridians earlier in this Congress. But the reason was they were duly elected. They had a date set. They flew in all their friends and family and the House went out of session unexpectedly.
Karl: So if she flies in friends and family —
Johnson: We don’t have a date set. She was elected after we were out of session.
On former Rep. George Santos’ sentence being commuted
Karl: What do you make of that?
Johnson: The president has the right around the Constitution for pardon and —
Karl: For sure.
Johnson: And commutation, of course. We believe in redemption. This is a personal belief of mine. And I, you know, I hope Mr. Santos makes the most of his second chance.
…
Karl: Is it OK for him to say, essentially, “I’m pardoning someone because they always had the courage — “
Johnson: That’s not the reason.
Karl: “Conviction and intelligence to always vote Republican?”
Johnson: That’s one snippet of what he said, among many things about George Santos.
Karl: Should that be a factor in pardoning somebody that they vote Republican — or clemency?
Johnson: No, and I don’t think — I don’t think it was. No, I don’t think it was. I just think he’s talking about, this individual and his past, and at least he’s open and transparent about it. Joe Biden never told us anything. And frankly, we’re not even sure he knew who he’s pardoning on any one of those things.
How ICE is conducting enforcement operations Karl: I want to play something for you that (podcast host) Joe Rogan recently said about how this is being undertaken. Take a listen.
Joe Rogan (host, “The Joe Rogan Experience”): The way it looks is horrific. It looks — when you’re just arresting people in front of their kids and just normal, regular people that have been here for 20 years. That — everybody who has a heart can’t get along with that.
Karl: Do you worry that these ICE raids are going too far, or at least — or could go too far?
Johnson: I think everybody is aware of the optics, but I do believe in the rule of law. And I believe the American people were alarmed that the, the, the border was wide open for four years, and by many estimates, as many as 20 million illegal aliens get into the country, many of them hardened, dangerous criminals —
Karl: What you’re seeing people that have been in the country 20 years or more with that have families. You know, have American citizens as children, as spouses, that are facing, you know, these pretty rough deportations.
Johnson: Yeah. And no one takes any pleasure in that at all. What ICE has prioritized is the dangerous, hardened criminals first. And there’s probably a few million of those, OK? So they’ve been trying to round them up and send them back home with great success.
Whether he has concerns about military operations in the Caribbean Sea Karl: Don’t you have questions for him (Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth) about what’s happening in Venezuela We have this buildup around Venezuela. We have the, the targeting of these boats. I mean, you must at least have questions. I know we have questions.
Johnson: The targeting of the boats? You have drug cartels bringing in fentanyl and boatloads of it that would kill potentially hundreds of thousands of Americans. What we’re doing is restoring —
Karl: You have no questions about how they’re doing.
Johnson: No, I believe in peace through strength. I think that the president and the commander-in-chief are in charge of ensuring national security and the safety of the American people. And I think most common-sense Americans look at that and say “Thank goodness.”
The U.S. Capitol building is seen from Freedom Plaza during the 20th day of the ongoing federal government shutdown in Washington, D.C., United States, on October 20, 2025. Celal Gunes/Anadolu via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — One of the biggest impacts of the government shutdown is about to hit tens of millions of the poorest Americans hard: the halting of a critical food assistance program.
Several states are now warning they will be forced to suspend Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits come Nov. 1 if the shutdown continues.
SNAP, often referred to as “food stamps,” serves roughly 42 million low-income Americans. The program, run by the USDA Food and Nutrition Service, issues electronic benefits that can be used like cash to purchase food.
Texas is now warning its millions of recipients that all November SNAP benefits will be halted if the shutdown continues past Oct. 27.
Pennsylvania officials say they will also not be able to distribute SNAP benefits if the shutdown — now in its 21st day — continues.
“Because Republicans in Washington DC failed to pass a federal budget, causing the federal government shutdown, November 2025 SNAP benefits cannot be paid,” an alert on the state’s Department of Human Services website reads.
Other states such as Minnesota and New York, are issuing similar warnings — saying benefits are “at risk” or “may be delayed” if the shutdown continues.
SNAP has traditionally been entirely federally funded, but is administered by states. That means the shutdown’s impact on SNAP and when benefits will start to dry up will vary state by state.
Earlier this month, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children — commonly known as WIC — received $300 million to help support the program amid the shutdown. The White House said it would use tariff revenue to pay for WIC benefits, which help more than 6 million low-income mothers, young children and expectant parents get nutritious foods.
“We welcome efforts to keep WIC afloat during the shutdown, but families need long-term stability, not short-term uncertainty. We still don’t know how much funding this measure provides, how quickly states will receive it, or how long it will sustain operations. There is no substitute for Congress doing its job,” National WIC Association CEO Georgia Machell said in a statement.
In a letter to state health officials earlier this month, Ronald Ward — the acting head of SNAP — warned that “if the current lapse in appropriations continues, there will be insufficient funds to pay full November SNAP benefits for approximately 42 million individuals across the Nation.”
This has already been a tumultuous few months for SNAP. President Donald Trump’s megabill already cut the program by an estimated $186 billion over 10 years.
