Eric Adams Fumes at the Media, Claims Press ‘Distorted’ Policy Giving Migrants Debit Cards

New York City Mayor Eric Adams (D) blasted how a policy giving prepaid debit cards to migrants has been “reported and distorted” in the media, calling the policy a major money-saver for the city.

On Friday’s Squawk Box, Andrew Ross Sorkin asked Adams about the “controversy” surrounding the pilot program and whether it “encourages” more migrants to make their way to the city.

“The reason it has created such controversy is because how it has been reported and distorted,” Adams said.

According to the mayor, the policy saves both money and food waste. Migrants are provided $13 a day for food, rather than being given prepared meals, much of which would be thrown away. The cards are limited and can only purchase food or baby supplies. They can hold more than $1,000, but can also only be used in designated locations like grocery stores and bodegas.

“We are required to feed migrants and asylum seekers, as well as everyone else in our homeless system. About 40,000 are in the homeless system that are not migrant and asylum seekers,” Adams explained. “We’re required to feed them. So what I told the team to do is we have to find a way to do it that’s less costly.”

The mayor claimed the current policy is saving the city $600,000 a month. The $53 million pilot program includes 500 migrant families and the plans are to expand it to more.

“This is a real win-win for us, and the money will go into the local economy because now we’re going to local stores, supermarkets, we’re going to hire local. This is a smart way to bring down the cost and re-place the money back into our city,” he said.

Adams has repeatedly declared that New York City’s resources are stretched thin dealing with the influx of migrants being bused from Texas as part of Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R-TX) controversial policy to draw attention to the record number of migrants crossing the border.

Abbott is among the critics of the debit card program from Adams, calling it “insanity” during a recent Fox News appearance. Fox News also aired a segment explaining the limitations of the cards amid criticism the program could be ripe for abuse. A New York Post op-ed referred to it as the mayor’s “debit card boondoggle.” New York City Councilmember Gale Brewer also called for a review of the program, recommending the city bid out the job of feeding migrants instead.

Watch above via CNBC.