New York City will spend $70 million building government-run grocery stores that sell food at 30% below retail — and city officials confirmed this week that no one will be asked for ID, proof of residency, or income verification to shop. That means anyone, including illegal aliens and non-residents from neighboring states, can walk in and buy subsidized groceries on the taxpayer's dime.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani's administration made the no-ID policy explicit in a statement to the New York Post: "NYC Grocery stores will be open to everyone. There will be no system to verify identity, residency, or income, and no one will be asked to show ID to shop."
Five stores are planned, one per borough, with a "core basket of goods" sold at steep discounts. The city's request for proposal documents confirm the stores will offer a voluntary "savings card program" that must be "made easily available to any individual requesting" it — with no proof of residency required, contrary to earlier assumptions.
When pressed by reporters about how the city would stop bad actors from buying in bulk and reselling discounted goods, Jeanny Pak, interim president and CEO of the New York City Economic Development Corporation, said the administration was focused on "everyday New Yorkers" and floated a "library card-esque" membership — but the actual program documents make that card voluntary and open to anyone, no questions asked. An administration spokesperson said the card would function like a standard supermarket loyalty card, designed by the private operator to manage supply and prevent re-selling.
Forbes framed the story around MAGA backlash, reporting that Trump and his allies accused Mamdani of hypocrisy after a city official suggested some form of ID might be required — comparing it to Trump's voter ID push. But that framing misses the actual policy outcome: there is no ID requirement at all. The real story isn't hypocrisy over ID checks. It's that a socialist mayor is building a $70 million welfare distribution network with zero guardrails against abuse by non-residents or illegal aliens, and the city's own documents guarantee it.
Forbes also noted that Trump allies criticized Mamdani for requiring two forms of ID for the city's emergency snow-shoveling program earlier this year — a program Mamdani said was bound by federal employment verification rules. So the city requires ID to shovel snow but not to access taxpayer-subsidized food. That discrepancy tells you everything about priorities.
Only two of the five store locations have been finalized. The first, in Hunts Point in the Bronx, won't open until at least 2027. That gives New Yorkers plenty of time to ask a simple question: if these stores are for struggling city residents, why won't the city check whether the people walking through the door actually live there?
The answer is that checking would exclude people the mayor's coalition wants included. The welfare state isn't a safety net here — it's a magnet. And the people paying for it aren't the ones being served.
