City Council axes pro-veterans bill in what NYC conservatives slam as ‘petty retaliation’

The package included eight bills and three resolutions, all of which received approval from the veterans committee led by term‑limited Queens Councilman Bob Holden. However, Speaker Adrienne Adams chose not to bring the proposals to a vote on Thursday night.

Instead, Adams relegated the legislation to the finance committee for further scrutiny—a move that Holden and his allies interpreted as a deliberate political snub.

“Veterans legislation was deliberately sacrificed to carry out a personal vendetta against me, and our veterans were collateral damage,” Holden announced, noting the long‑standing tension with the speaker.

He added, “The Speaker and Council leadership killed good policy out of spite, not principle, and chose petty retaliation over doing their jobs.”

The legislation had promised a range of benefits: property‑tax exemptions for veterans, broader access to affordable housing, a pilot mental‑health program, increased funding for veteran groups, and more.

Brendan Gibbons, who has chaired the local Veterans of Foreign Wars branch in Middle Village, Queens for 12 years, called the outcome “very disheartening,” particularly as 51 other measures were passed that night.

“It feels like Bob Holden is the only person fighting for veterans in the city. Many organizations are closing—American Legions, VFWs, Catholic War Veterans—because of a lack of funding,” Gibbons told The Post.

A City Council spokesperson said that moving forward with the package without a finance‑committee review would be “fiscally irresponsible,” even though the mayor’s budget office had already examined the bills.

“Legislation isn’t advanced by blaming and complaining about everyone else, but rather by working with your colleagues,” the representative said. “Existing programs and services already provide much of the support outlined in the proposed legislation that was referred for fiscal considerations.”

In a heated closing statement, the speaker – unrelated to Mayor Eric Adams – defended her decision, declaring, “Let it never be said that Adrienne Adams does not stand up for veterans. Veterans stood up for us.” She also highlighted how a veteran helped launch the first black speaker of the New York City Council, holding a photo of her late father in uniform.

Not all council members were satisfied with the speaker’s justification. Republican Brooklyn Councilwoman Inna Vernikov released a sharp statement, labeling the action “reprehensible” and expressing disappointment at what she called a low‑class move by the outgoing speaker.

Minority Leader Joann Ariola, whose own two resolutions had been included in the package, also voiced her disappointment. Despite her amicable relationship with Adams and a tearful farewell at a press conference earlier that day, Ariola said, “These men and women were willing to put their lives on the line for us, they deserve so much better.”