New York U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer is making a push for at least an $80 billion dollar investment in federal public housing funds via the just-proposed American Jobs Plan.
Schumer says after decades of disinvestment, bad management and federal neglect, NYCHA and all its residents face a now-or-never moment to secure critically needed investments via the American Jobs Plan.
The Biden administration’s plan calls for $40 billion dollars for the whole nation—but Schumer doesn’t think that’s enough given the high number of needs of public housing properties across the country, particularly in New York. Schumer said he is going to fight to at least double the proposal to $80 billion dollars as he detailed NYCHA’s repair backlog, years of Republican-led federal disinvestment and delays that have left tenants frustrated.
NYCHA’s repair backlog, alone, is more than $40 billion dollars. Schumer believes that a federal plan coupled with serious investment is the only way to address the systemic problem. In December of 2020, Schumer asked then-Rep. Marcia Fudge, who now oversees the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to prioritize NYCHA.
More than 400,000 New Yorkers reside in NYCHA’s 326 public housing developments across the city.