New Yorkers, like the rest of the country, are struggling under an affordability crisis. Rent, utilities, food, prescriptions, and other necessities are increasingly out of reach. That’s why it’s especially important that workers receive the pay they have earned, and when companies price gouge or charge exorbitant junk fees, they are held accountable.

NYC’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) may not be a household name, but it plays a key role in navigating these unaffordable times. By going after bad actors, it creates a market to let honest businesses flourish. 

This is especially true given the Trump administration’s abdication of its consumer and worker protection responsibilities. According to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, New Yorkers filed 63% more complaints in 2025 than in 2024, totaling nearly 185,000. These complaints ranged from inaccurate credit reporting to improper credit card or bank fees, just a snapshot of how big companies take advantage of people when they think nobody is watching. 

Without assistance from the federal government, we can’t afford to take DCWP for granted. If it lacks resources necessary to enforce consumer and worker laws, these protections become meaningless. We must ensure DCWP has the budget to tackle the difficult times ahead. Right now, that’s not the case. 

DCWP protects us at work and at the cash register. This includes the recently expanded Protect Time Off Law and Minimum Pay Rates for deliveristas, to debt collection protections and ensuring New Yorkers can pay in cash at stores and restaurants. It also operates the Office of Financial Empowerment, which provides free financial counseling through community-based organizations. 

DCWP’s value speaks for itself. In 2026 so far, it has collected nearly $6 million from companies that broke the law, more than $5 million of which goes directly to harmed New Yorkers in restitution. In 2025, it collected $38.9 million in penalties and restitution from one settlement alone.

The agency has also taken on fraudsters, like its case against a solar panel company that defrauded residents that could yield nearly $20 million. It has also announced new protections to help keep costs down for New Yorkers, including its country-leading debt collection protections.

Compared to its slim budget and staffing, DCWP has been punching well above its weight. But we can’t take its performance for granted. New Yorkers need a fully resourced DCWP. 

On the campaign trail, Mayor Mamdami committed to doubling DCWP’s funding so it could scale up. Last year, the City Council passed laws to require approximately 300 new hires for DCWP. However, the preliminary budget, if adopted, would result in an 8% funding cut of an already-thin budget. Meanwhile, the Law Department, NYPD, and Department of Correction are slated for significant budget increases. 

We can’t afford this underinvestment and we don’t have to. Increasing DCWP funding isn’t just necessary for consumer and worker protections, it’s also a sound investment. DCWP is one of few agencies whose staff are generating revenue through the financial penalties they impose on companies ripping us off. DCWP proves economic justice and return on investment are not mutually exclusive. 

The city can both balance its books and pursue its policy agenda by increasing DCWP’s budget. The mayor’s campaign call to double the agency’s size isn’t just the right choice, it’s a smart one.

Epstein chairs the City Council Committee on Consumer and Worker Protection. Salas is a senior fellow with the advocacy group Protect Borrowers and a former DCWP commissioner.

© NY Daily News