How Lina Khan Plans to Boost Zohran Mamdani’s Power With Old Laws

Lina Khan, former chair of the United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC), is emerging as one of the most influential voices behind New York City mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani’s incoming administration. Named by Mamdani as co-chair of his transition team last week, Khan is now exploring how the new mayor can leverage rarely used legal authorities to implement his sweeping and highly ambitious agenda.

During an interview with Pod Save America host Tommy Vietor—set to air in full on November 23—Khan revealed that her focus is on identifying and activating little-known powers already available to the mayor’s office. Her aim, she said, is to ensure Mamdani can deliver on his pledge to reshape affordability and public services in New York City.

Coming from the FTC, Khan emphasized her familiarity with dormant legal tools. “I’m going to be especially focused on things like, how do we make sure that we have a full accounting of all the laws and authorities the mayor can unilaterally deploy?” she said. She added that uncovering unused avenues of executive power was a defining lesson from her tenure in Washington.

A Bold Progressive Agenda Needing Big Tools

Mamdani, 34, a democratic socialist and one of the city’s most progressive incoming leaders, has proposed transformative policies—including free citywide buses, universal childcare for children aged six months to five years, and a freeze on rents for more than one million rent-stabilized apartments.

The cost of this agenda is steep: approximately $10 billion in new annual revenue. Mamdani has argued these funds should largely come from higher taxes on millionaires and corporations. However, taxes are controlled at the state level, and Governor Kathy Hochul has made it clear she has no intention of raising taxes, placing immediate hurdles in the mayor-elect’s path.

Hochul has also expressed skepticism over free bus service, pointing to the Metropolitan Transit Authority’s (MTA) ongoing reliance on fare revenue to service $17 billion in farebox bonds.

Khan: Push Limits Where Cooperation Isn’t Guaranteed

Acknowledging the political and financial roadblocks, Khan said that while collaboration with the governor and state lawmakers will be essential, the mayor still has significant power to act independently.

“He should also have a lot of ability to do things unilaterally,” she explained. “We want to make sure he has a good sense of what that is.”

According to a source familiar with her plans, Khan is studying newly proposed and recently enacted laws related to algorithmic price discrimination, junk fees, and surveillance pricing—areas that could help the administration regulate corporate behavior more aggressively at the city level.

A Polarizing Figure Draws Fresh Criticism

Khan, 36, was one of the most controversial regulators in the Biden administration. As the youngest FTC chair in history, she often clashed with corporate America. Wall Street executives and tech giants frequently criticized her expanded antitrust enforcement, especially after the FTC suffered early legal defeats against Meta and Microsoft.

Her role in Mamdani’s transition has already stirred backlash. Hedge fund billionaire Daniel Loeb, an outspoken critic of Mamdani’s candidacy, slammed Khan in a post on X, suggesting her influence would lead to “Soviet-style centralized control” and “destroy the economy.”

Despite his criticism, Loeb added sarcastically, “But we should give @ZohranKMamdani a chance.”

Reviving Dormant Laws for a New Era

One of Khan’s final actions at the FTC was reviving the Robinson-Patman Act, an obscure 1936 law that had not been enforced in 25 years, in a lawsuit against Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits. She cited this as an example of how seemingly outdated laws can still be powerful tools—an approach she now intends to bring to New York City Hall.

“It was shocking how much dormant authority was just sitting unused,” she said. “We want to understand the full authority the city has.”

Taking on Big Tech at the Local Level

Khan also hinted that under Mamdani, New York City could take stronger action against tech platforms through the city’s Department of Consumer and Worker Protection—an agency with similar mandates to the FTC.

“They do have a whole set of laws designed to make sure companies aren’t abusing their power,” she noted. “I’ll look forward to them being able to deploy that.”

A Transition Team Poised for Battle

As Mamdani prepares to take office on January 1, Khan’s strategy signals an administration ready to push boundaries and challenge long-standing norms around executive power. With massive expectations from progressive supporters—and fierce resistance from establishment and business groups—the incoming mayor may be relying heavily on Khan’s ability to unearth every legal tool available.

Her approach could determine whether Mamdani’s most ambitious promises remain campaign rhetoric or become a new chapter in New York City governance.