New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s plan for city-run grocery stores is still a ways away from becoming reality, but new qualifications are sparking backlash.
The controversy centers on a possible ID or membership system that could be required for shoppers to access discounted goods — a move critics say clashes with arguments against voter ID laws.
On Monday, Mamdani said the program is not designed to allow people to buy discounted groceries in bulk and resell them for profit when asked if there was a limit on items for shoppers.
‘The program is for New Yorkers to be able to put food on the table, not a program for people to be able to make a quick buck through reselling,’ he affirmed.
Passing the question to a New York City Economic Development Corporation official, she said the city was considering a ‘library card-esque’ membership system to identify shoppers and manage purchases, ensuring discounts benefit everyday residents rather than bulk buyers.
Critics immediately seized on the idea, even if Mamdani himself never addressed it.
Former Los Angeles GOP mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt accused Mamdani of hypocrisy over the proposed ID system, writing:
‘Racist Commie Mamdani is going to make you show ID in his markets. You want your government-subsidized arugula? Show your papers! Ask for ID to vote? BIGOT!!!’
NYC is considering a ‘library card-esque’ membership system to identify shoppers at its city-run grocery stores and manage purchases
The city-backed Sun Fresh Market in Kansas City opened in 2018 and closed in August 2025 after years of financial struggles. Shoppers reported empty shelves, while officials cited crime concerns, rising costs, and declining customer traffic as factors contributing to the closure
Former Los Angeles GOP mayoral candidate Spencer Pratt accused Mamdani of hypocrisy over the proposed ID system
Pratt added, ‘Are you starting to realize what disingenuous lying buffoons these commies are?’
Former White House AI and Crypto Czar David Sacks also criticized the proposal during an episode of the All-In Podcast.
‘It is ironic that they’re going to be checking ID to make sure people aren’t coming over from Jersey but if you want to come over illegally from any country in the world, that’s just fine,’ Sacks said.
Elon Musk piled on asking, ‘Are they seriously checking ID?’
Later following up with, ‘Oh, the irony is too much … ‘
Senator Mike Lee wrote, ‘ID to vote: Jim Crow! ID to buy groceries: Democratic Socialism!’
Barstool Sports President Dave Portnoy also joined the discussion on X.
‘So you need a valid ID to shop at Mandami’s government grocery stores to make sure the system isnt taken advantage of But the same people who love this idea will also scream racism if you say you need a valid ID to vote so the system doesnt get taken advantage of. Hypocrites man…Either you should be for no ID for both or ID for both. But if you are split than you are prob a fraud.’
Supporters of the proposal pushed back against the criticism, arguing the comparison between grocery store membership requirements and voter identification laws was misleading.
Congressman Ro Khanna defended the plan on Fox News Sunday, saying the goal is to address food deserts and bring affordable groceries to neighborhoods where private markets have not provided enough options.
‘The plan is aimed at food deserts, not replacing private grocery stores,’ Khanna said.
He also called criticism that the stores would hurt working-class New Yorkers ‘absurd,’ arguing the program is intended to help communities with limited access to full-service supermarkets rather than compete with bodegas and independent grocers.
Khanna blamed the war in Iran for the inflation of grocery prices.
‘Let me tell you what’s actually hurting and shafting and stealing from ordinary Americans. This war in Iran that has led to huge increases in grocery prices because farmers can’t get the fertilizer.’
Mamdani has publicly opposed voter ID requirements at polling places, arguing that such laws can create barriers to voting.
He faced backlash in February over a city snow-shoveling program that required participants to provide identification, with critics accusing him of hypocrisy.
Mamdani defended the requirement, saying the ID rules were tied to federal employment verification laws because participants were being paid for the work.
The first planned city-owned grocery store is expected to open in 2027 at The Peninsula redevelopment site in Hunts Point, the Bronx, on the property of a former juvenile detention center.
It would be the first of five planned stores, with one location in each borough.
The Mamdani administration says the stores could save shoppers about $90 per month — roughly $1,000 per year — through discounts of around 30 percent on selected staple items.
The planned taxpayer cost is currently listed at about $70 million in capital funding, which would cover construction and store build-outs for the five locations.
Mamdani’s proposal comes as a recent government-backed grocery experiment in Kansas City failed.
Sun Fresh Market, opened in 2018 to bring fresh food access to the city’s East Side, closed in August 2025 after years of financial struggles, with shoppers reporting empty shelves and officials citing crime concerns, rising costs and falling customer traffic.
