The City Council effectively killed a package of bills that would have boosted protections for veterans — sparking condemnation from conservatives who claimed their progressive counterparts engaged in “petty retaliation” at the expense of war heroes.
The eight pieces of legislation and three resolutions were approved by the council’s veterans committee, chaired by term-limited Queens Councilman Bob Holden, but the speaker refused to bring it up to a vote during the last session of the year Thursday night.
Outgoing Speaker Adrienne Adams instead deferred the bills to the council’s finance committee for further evaluation, in what moderate Democrat Holden and his allies claimed was a political snub.
“Veterans legislation was deliberately sacrificed to carry out a personal vendetta against me, and our veterans were collateral damage,” said Holden, who has repeatedly sparred with the speaker over her tenure.
“The Speaker and Council leadership killed good policy out of spite, not principle, and chose petty retaliation over doing their jobs,” he added.
The proposed bills would have established property tax exemptions for veterans, expanded their access to affordable housing, implemented a pilot for mental health, increased funding to veterans’ organizations, and more.
Brendan Gibbons, who’s lead the non-profit Veterans of Foreign Wars outpost in Middle Village, Queens, for 12 years called it “very disheartening” that the package didn’t make it through with the 51 bills passed by the council Thursday night.
“It feels like Bob Holden is the only person fighting for veterans in the city. A lot of the organizations are closing, American Legions, VFWs, Catholic War Veterans, because of a lack of funding,” he told The Post.
A spokesperson for the City Council said it would be “fiscally irresponsible” to advance the package without running it through the finance committee — though the bills had undergone through review by the mayor’s office of budget management.
“Legislation isn’t advanced by blaming and complaining about everyone else, but rather by working with your colleagues,” the rep said.
“Existing programs and services already provide much of the support outlined in the proposed legislation that was referred for fiscal considerations.”
The speaker, no relation to Mayor Eric Adams, also hit back at Holden’s accusation in her fiery closing remarks during the council’s last scheduled vote of 2025.
“Let it never be said that Adrienne Adams does not stand up for veterans. Veterans stood up for us,” she railed.
“A veteran birthed this first black speaker of the New York City Council,” she added, while holding up a photo of her late father in uniform.
But members of the council’s common sense caucus weren’t convinced.
Republican Brooklyn Councilwoman Inna Vernikov issued a seething statement calling out Adams.
“Doing that to NYC veterans out of personal dislike of the committee chair is reprehensible,” she said. “What a low-class move on the way out for the speaker. I’m extremely disappointed.”
Minority Leader Joann Ariola — who had two resolutions included in the package — also expressed her dismay, despite having a positive relationship with Adams and issuing her a teary, heartfelt goodbye at a press conference earlier that day.
“These men and women were willing to put their lives on the line for us, they deserve so much better,” she said.
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