Washington, DC—Today, President Biden awarded former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In celebration of this distinguished honor, below is a statement by Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director of The United States Conference of Mayors:
“Today, President Biden awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg. Mayor Bloomberg served as mayor of New York City, the country’s largest city, for three terms. During his tenure, he made significant contributions to the city and his leadership in bringing New York City and our nation back from the devastating terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, was exemplary for all of us.
“While mayor, he was an active member of The United States Conference of Mayors, engaging and sharing best practices with his peers. Since leaving office, Mayor Bloomberg has dedicated his life to strengthening mayoral leadership worldwide—by providing significant resources and support to cities so that local governments can be more ambitious and innovative as they solve the greatest challenges of our time. His continued commitment to The United States Conference of Mayors has been nothing short of extraordinary as we work together to support mayors regardless of political party.
“In particular, Mayor Bloomberg’s leadership across the globe on the issue of climate change has been transformational. Climate change was an issue once left to national governments, but last year in Dubai at COP28, he led the largest delegation of mayors ever, pushing national governments to act to save our planet for future generations.
“We salute Mayor Mike Bloomberg today, and we look forward to working with him in the days ahead to make cities across the globe a safer and better place for all.”