Mamdani Targets Junk Fees and Hidden Charges in Two Executive Orders

Context & Prior Efforts on Junk Fees / “Click to Cancel”

• Commenters link these NYC orders to earlier federal efforts (e.g., FTC “click to cancel”), noting that rule was vacated in 2025 on procedural grounds and is unlikely to return under the current administration.
• NYC’s move is seen as continuing a broader trend: state AG actions against gyms and subscription platforms, and federal consumer‑protection work under officials like Lina Khan.

Framing as “Leftist” and the Overton Window

• Several commenters find it odd that banning junk fees is characterized as a “leftist political agenda,” arguing that basic consumer protection is broadly popular.
• Others say that in US political discourse anything that constrains business pricing or strengthens renters/consumers is now framed as left or even “communist.”
• There’s debate over whether democratic socialism here is truly “far left” or just center‑left by global/European standards.

What Executive Orders Can and Can’t Do

• Some worry mayoral executive orders are fragile and should be codified as law.
• Others note that even if reversible, EOs are not symbolic: they bind agencies, can have very concrete effects (up to and including abuse in national‑security contexts), and can build public support for later legislation.
• In NYC specifically, these orders mainly direct enforcement of existing laws and create a task force expected to propose new statutes.

Jurisdiction: City, State, Federal

• Commenters agree similar rules can be enacted at multiple levels.
• States like California are cited as examples of aggressive consumer‑protection lawmaking that can precede federal action.

Stored‑Value, Gift Cards, and Interest Proposal

• One thread proposes requiring interest on balances in apps, gift cards, and toll accounts to discourage companies from profiting off idle user funds.
• Critics argue administration and tax reporting would be complex, for minimal consumer gain at current rates, and could effectively turn gift cards into lightly regulated bank accounts.
• Others counter that the point is to change incentives so firms stop designing systems to trap small residual balances, even if that means some schemes disappear.
• A Chicago example is raised where mandated interest on rental security deposits led landlords to switch to non‑refundable move‑in fees; some say this shows policy backfiring, others blame landlord behavior, not the law.

Politics, Media, and Consumer Protection

• Several comments zoom out to national politics: Biden‑era efforts on junk fees and dark patterns are described as substantively successful but politically under‑rewarded, with media coverage focusing more on age and gaffes.
• Others dispute how friendly mainstream media really was, or argue both recent presidents are too old and in decline; this is tied to frustration that structural issues (like junk fees) get less attention than personalities.

Public Appeal and Accountability

• Commenters see these NYC orders—e.g., simple cancellation for gym memberships—as “low‑hanging fruit” that directly answer everyday grievances.
• Some enthusiasm centers on exposing corporate “dark patterns” and testing whether long‑claimed business objections were just rent‑seeking.
• A few caution that the policies should be judged empirically later (e.g., fewer complaints, easier cancellations), not just celebrated at announcement.