September 8, 2026
‘Financial Issues’ host: Mamdani’s government grocery stores will destroy NYC small businesses — but is that the point?
‘Our government should not be allowed to use the taxpayers’ own money to compete against its citizens, weaken them and potentially destroy our country’
PHILADELPHIA — New York City socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani plans to open five city-run supermarkets with subsidized grocery offerings, leaving bodega owners outraged. The Multicultural Business Coalition filed two lawsuits against Mamdani’s proposal, one being a class-action filed on behalf of “hundreds” of store owners and alleging these government-run grocery stores would violate the businesses’ civil rights. Leaders within the coalition and bodega owners rallied outside the future site of one of the stores to challenge Mamdani’s rollout of the stores, which is slated to begin in late 2027.
According to “Financial Issues” (FISM) host Mark Minnella, “Helping people who genuinely need food assistance is a worthy goal, but using taxpayer dollars to compete against the very businesses that create jobs, pay taxes and serve their neighborhoods turns compassion into government control.
“A private grocer must pay rent, utilities and all business costs, while these city-owned stores would have major expenses subsidized and then sell groceries 30% below market prices; that is not competition, it is government using its financial power to undercut its own citizens. And the claim that there are only five stores misses the economic reality: shoppers will travel for a 30% discount, and once nearby small businesses lose enough customers to close, those jobs, family businesses and community institutions may never return.”
Minnella continued, “Even after the socialist ideas fail, if the real objective is helping people afford food, there are far better ways to do it, including targeted assistance or vouchers that allow families to shop at the privately owned stores already operating throughout the city. Instead, this plan inserts government directly into the marketplace, uses taxpayer money to begin taking over the businesses, and then calls the resulting artificially low price a success. That is precisely the danger of socialist economics: government uses the chant of helping those in need, then it begins replacing private enterprise, weakening the independence of citizens and increasing dependence on government.
“Small business is the financial heartbeat of America, and our government should not be allowed to use the taxpayers’ own money to compete against its citizens, weaken them and potentially destroy our country.”
Financial Issues’ (FISM) unique programming helps Christians find freedom and purpose in financial stewardship, empowering them to make biblically faithful choices in a world filled with competing voices. By tuning in, viewers and listeners will discover how to navigate their financial journey with clarity, integrity and a Kingdom-minded perspective.
Mark Minnella is the host of“Financial Issues,” which is broadcast live Monday through Friday at 9 – 10 a.m. ET/8 – 9 a.m. CT, on more than 500 television and radio outlets nationwide, streaming on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and other major platforms, as well as online at FinancialIssues.org.
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To schedule interviews with Mark Minnella, contact Hamilton Strategies, Media@HamiltonStrategies.com, Beth Bogucki, 610.584.1096 ext. 105, or Richard Jefferson, rjefferson@hamiltonstrategies.com.
