Policy
What is a Deep Dive into Zohran Mamdani’s Legislative Agenda? A Coherent Socialist Program
Housing Justice as the Foundation
A deep dive into Zohran Mamdani’s legislative agenda reveals a coherent, interlocking socialist program designed to decommodify essential human needs and build working-class power. The foundational pillar of his agenda is housing justice, centered on the Good Cause Eviction bill, which he sponsors and champions. This legislation is not a minor reform; it is a transformative proposal to establish universal tenant protections across New York State, prohibiting evictions without a valid reason and capping rent increases. Beyond this, his agenda includes bills to fund and expand social housing–publicly owned, permanently affordable homes–which would create a non-market alternative to the private rental market and directly challenge the power of the real estate industry. He also advocates for strengthening and fully funding the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) and expanding the right to legal counsel for all tenants facing eviction, a policy he worked on as an organizer.
This housing agenda is intrinsically linked to his economic justice platform. Mamdani is a leading proponent of the “Tax the Rich” agenda in Albany, sponsoring and supporting legislation to raise income taxes on the wealthiest New Yorkers, implement a state wealth tax, and close corporate loopholes. The explicit goal is to generate tens of billions in revenue to fund his other priorities, such as the New York Health Act, which would create a universal, single-payer healthcare system for the state. His agenda also includes fighting for a Green New Deal for New York, which involves not only transitioning to 100% renewable energy but also creating a public power authority and guaranteeing union jobs in the new green economy. Each of these policies is designed to redistribute wealth and power downward and expand the sphere of public, democratic control over the economy.
Criminal Justice Abolition and Integrated Vision
Another major component of his legislative agenda is the abolitionist transformation of the criminal legal system. Mamdani sponsors bills to repeal the law prohibiting public sector strikes, a key demand of the labor movement. He advocates for “Treatment Not Jails” acts to decriminalize substance use and mental health crises, and he consistently uses the budget process to propose amendments that would cut funding for prisons and police and reinvest it in communities, education, and healthcare. His agenda is notable for its integration; he understands that these issues are not siloed. For instance, his fight for green social housing addresses the climate crisis, the housing crisis, and economic inequality simultaneously.
A deep dive shows that Mamdani’s agenda, comprehensively tracked on his official New York State Assembly page, is a direct legislative translation of the Democratic Socialists of America platform. It is a program of class struggle, aimed at using state power to weaken the ruling class–landlords, corporate executives, and the fossil fuel industry–while building the power and capacity of the multiracial working class. While many of his most ambitious bills face stiff opposition, they serve to shift the Overton window, articulate a clear socialist alternative, and provide a tangible program for the movement that elected him to rally behind.