Zohran Mamdani is attempting to perform accounting gymnastics to balance the Big Apple’s budget. One piece of the puzzle is an initiative that is being compared to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Specifically, the New York City mayor issued an executive order directing every city agency to appoint a “chief savings officer” tasked with establishing plans to spend taxpayer dollars more efficiently. The homework is due later this month.
The exercise is prompting an uneasy sense of deja vu for some. DOGE — and its chaotic rollout in Washington last year — left a bitter taste among Democrats and gave pragmatic conservatives pause. Even its biggest cheerleader, Musk, has acknowledged the exercise was only “somewhat successful.”
But Democrats with big ideas should not discount how a DOGE-ish strategy, when executed smartly, can help implement their own priorities. Identifying opportunities to better spend government money—and clarifying where others should contribute — can unlock financing for bold, new programs. New York City is suffering from a multi-billion dollar budget shortfall and every dollar counts.
From that perspective, all of the city’s 100-plus government agencies and the projects they fund have a role to play — even those that deal with the city’s nonhuman residents. The Animal Care Centers of NYC, which shelters and facilitates the adoption of homeless pets with funding from the city’s health department, is one example. Taxpayers spend north of $20 million a year to keep its operations afloat—but just barely, given its poor record.
More than 1,500 dogs and cats were euthanized in its shelters during 2025 — hundreds more compared to the year before. Why is the situation deteriorating? Because City Hall is strapped for cash and large animal charities are failing to step up to the plate. To better serve the city’s homeless pets and get more bang per taxpayer buck, wealthy animal nonprofits need to start paying their fair share.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), which is headquartered in Manhattan, would fit the bill. The group collects more than $400 million a year but currently only gives a tiny fraction of their budget to pet shelters as financial grants. The ASPCA also has $466 million stashed away in an investment portfolio and the charity’s CEO makes $1.2 million, according to the latest available tax return.
Yes, the ASPCA currently gives some money to the Animal Care Centers of NYC, but average support has dropped compared to pre-pandemic levels. The fundraising juggernaut clearly has ample resources to do more — easily doubling or tripling the current taxpayer-funded portion.
Sheltering an animal costs an estimated $950 a year. Imagine what the ASPCA could do if its reserves were to be spent wisely. More homeless cats and dogs in the ASPCA’s own backyard could get a second leash on life — simultaneously freeing up millions of taxpayer dollars to be reinvested.
Sure, no law exists that demands the ASPCA take more responsibility for Big Apple pets. But doesn’t the group have a moral obligation? The organization has called New York City home since 1866 and avoids paying most taxes because of its nonprofit status. The least it can do is give more back to the community.
Mamdani — and his allies — don’t have a shortage of big ideas but they do lack the government resources at present to make those proposals a reality. New York-based institutions like the ASPCA need to do their part to fill budget holes in City Hall’s ambitious agenda. Even old bureaucracies can learn new tricks, and help animals in the process.
Edwin Sayres was president and CEO of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals from 2003 to 2013. He is a senior adviser to the Center for the Environment and Welfare.
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