In a move that surprises absolutely no one, New York City socialist Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s new city-run grocery store plan will require shoppers to use a “library-card-esque” ID to access discounted food, with officials saying the requirement is meant to prevent abuse and reselling and to “target New Yorkers.” But they’re also targeting foreigners because illegal aliens will be able to shop at the stores too.

JUST IN: NYC Mayor Mamdani reveals ID will be required at city-owned grocery stores to prevent non-residents from accessing discounted food.

— Polymarket (@Polymarket) August 3, 2026

The irony hasn’t been lost on critics.

Racist Commie Mamdani is going to make you show ID in his markets. You want your government-subsidized arugula? Show your papers! Ask for ID to vote? BIGOT!!!

Are you starting to realize what disingenuous lying buffoons these commies are? pic.twitter.com/uIZrFzkzgU

— Spencer Pratt (@spencerpratt) August 3, 2026

Zohran Mamdani wants black people and women to starve to death. https://t.co/NuaP7QEe4j

— Congressman Randy Fine (@RepFine) August 3, 2026

Democrats all over the country, including Mamdani’s political allies in the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA), have long opposed voter ID laws, calling them restrictive and discriminatory, while now embracing identification requirements when taxpayer-subsidized groceries are involved.

When asked about the hypocrisy of being against voter ID but demanding that New Yorkers have a “card” to purchase groceries, EDC (Economic Development Corporation) head, Jeanny Pak tried to explain their decision by saying, “Comparisons to voter ID laws or the SAVE Act simply do not apply. This is not an identification system, nor is it a mechanism to verify who someone is, where they live, or how much they earn. It is a practical inventory management tool to ensure affordable groceries remain available for the people who need them instead of being cleared off shelves for resale.”

Pak’s explanation may satisfy Democrats whose principles seem to shift depending on the issue but normal folks see how insane they are. We also see the truth about what’s going on. The REAL reason that Democrats oppose voter ID and citizenship to vote is because it stops them from cheating. It has nothing to do with “disfranchising” anyone except the people who shouldn’t be voting in the first place.

Americans routinely show identification to board airplanes, buy alcohol, pick up prescriptions, cash checks, enter many government buildings. It’s not discriminatory. It’s everyday reality for all of us.

And by the way, let’s not pretend this is some life-changing giveaway. The plan for their government- run grocery stores offers a 30% discount on things like milk, eggs, and cheese. A dozen eggs at a New York City Walmart costs about $2.07, so the discount saves shoppers roughly 62 cents. I guess New Yorkers can use that money to help pay for their $12 morning coffee, their $100 cell pone bill or their monthly $1,000 “affordable” Obamacare premium.