WASHINGTON FREE BEACON: .......------------------------....... https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/$s_!CcUV!,w_1100,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F8ddfbef5-234b-4c5e-8bbb-81c9b2ef0253_6000x4001.jpeg (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)) New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani is committing $260 million to his newly created Office of Community Safety, where social workers replace cops, as the city faces a multibillion-dollar budget shortfall, raising concerns about fiscal priorities, the Free Beacon’s Jon Levine reports. The office, which Mamdani established by executive order, is designed to deploy social workers and other non-police responders to handle mental health crises and hate crimes—functions traditionally managed by law enforcement. The spending comes as Mamdani’s proposed $127 billion budget has triggered warnings from credit rating agencies about the city’s long-term financial health. The mayor has pledged to close a $5.4 billion budget gap—he is legally required to balance the city’s budget by July 1—but has identified just $200 million in savings thus far. Slashing his social worker pet project could save more than just the $260 million (initial) budget: Mamdani pledged to fund the office to the tune of $1.1 billion while campaigning for mayor, and he said he would provide it with “more funding down the line” when he established the office earlier this month, according to the New York Times. “It’s remarkable that Mayor Mamdani is supposedly grappling with a historic budget gap of $5.4 billion through fiscal 2027—despite the absence of a recession or financial crisis—yet has managed to include $260 million for a new office with only two staffers,” John Ketcham, a senior fellow at the Manhattan Institute, told the Free Beacon. “At $260 million, the office represents roughly 5 percent of Mamdani’s budget gap, more than the approximately $200 million in savings the mayor touted last week. Many of those savings are speculative and may never materialize.” READ MORE: Mamdani Sinks $260 Million Into Office of Community Safety, Where Social Workers Replace Cops, as Big Apple Faces Historic Budget Crisis