Last month, Mayor Eric Adams had the briefest of trips to the nation’s capital that was quickly cut short because of a federal probe into his campaign fundraising.

Thursday was the mayor’s makeup trip, where he went to the White House and also talked with congressional leaders about the migrant crisis.

What You Need To Know

  • Adams was in D.C. on Thursday meeting with White House and congressional officials about the migrant crisis

  • Adams had a meeting with senior advisor to President Joe Biden, Tom Perez, but hasn't been able to get a direct sit down with the president himself

  • More than 140,000 migrants have come to the city, with more than 65,000 in the city's care

  • Adams has been asking for a national decompression strategy, expedited work authorizations and additional federal funding

Adams was in the capital to directly plead for federal help.

“We are consistent in our message. That New York City needs help,” Adams said on Thursday from Washington. “A real decompression strategy, really pushing through the right for asylum seekers to work.”

Adams pinned some of the troubling poll numbers released by Quinnipiac University on Wednesday on the crisis.

“You can just see the poll numbers that the action of our national government has taken a toll on New York City. New Yorkers are angry. I join that anger,” he said before warning about the impact the crisis could have on the city. “This has really derailed what this city was moving forward, was attempting to accomplish.”

Adams says his meetings with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries went well, and that they understood the importance of the issue.

He also met with senior advisor to President Joe Biden Tom Perez. Adams seems to not be able to secure a direct meeting with the president.

On Tuesday, he admitted it had been some time since he spoke to Biden.

“Every time I come to [Washington] D.C. I look forward to seeing the president. The team reached out to coordinate all the meetings that are possible in a short period of time,” he said. “I want to sit down with the president and have a conversation over this.”

The city has received over $160 million in funding and in September, the White House extended Temporary Protected Status to some Venezuelan migrants.

In November, Adams unveiled budget cuts, he said, were driven by the growing costs to house and feed thousands of migrants.

The city has spent nearly $2 billion on the crisis, while the city budget is facing a shortfall of $7 billion going into next year.

Adams also met with the Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator. He once again asked that Texas not be allowed to use federal dollars to bus migrants.

“We believe they should not be using federal dollars to do these actions and we’re hoping FEMA reconsiders that. And we need assistance all the way around to deal with emergency housing,” he said.