Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez speaks during the Dec. 14 town hall meeting. Photo: Max Parrott/QNS
AOC VISITS SUNNYSIDE
Queens Congresswoman talks public housing legislation at town hall
TIMESLEDGER | QNS.COM | DEC. 20-26, 2019 3
BY MAX PARROTT
Congresswoman Alexandria
Ocasio-Cortez used a
Dec. 14 town hall in Sunnyside
to fill her constituents
in on her ambitious public
housing bill and address
questions ranging from the
police presence in the subways
to Sunnyside Yards.
The central purpose of
the event was to outline the
Green New Deal for Public
Housing Act, a bill she introduced
with Senator Bernie
Sanders to commit billions
of dollars to decarbonize
America’s public housing
stock over the next 10 years.
“One of the big shifts we
need to be making as a country
is starting to think of our
housing — especially public
housing — as national infrastructure,”
said Ocasio-
Cortez.
The bill would invest up
to $180 billion to upgrading
1.2 million public housing
units in order to reduce their
carbon footprint. It represents
the first application
of the principles outlined in
the Green New Deal resolution
that she introduced in
February.
That resolution relies on
three pillars: a decarbonization
of the U.S. economy,
an effort to correct for economic
and racial injustice
caused by climate change
and a large-scale economic
mobilization.
Ocasio-Cortez said that
she hopes the proposal’s focus
on job creation could
change Americans’ perception
of public housing and
climate change as problems
solely for coastal urbanites.
“The economic stimulus
element of this also impacts
red states. Actually when
you do the economic assessment
of Green New Deal for
Public Housing, more jobs
are made in Trump voting
states, than dual Democratic
states,” said Ocasio-Cortz.
“Public housing is not an urban
issue.”
The bill would overhaul
Section 3 of the Federal law
governing public housing,
which dictates the number
of jobs in the public housing
system that go to residents
and other low-income people
who live nearby.
Asked how she plans to
address the deficit, Ocasio-
Cortez said that we need to
focus on fiscal policy and
create mass investment in
a way that would revitalize
the economy, suggesting
that a wealth tax would be
part of this strategy in paying
for public programs.
“It’s not how we are going
to pay for it, it’s how we
want to pay for it,” she said.
“Basically how do we tax the
rich?” said Ocasio-Cortez.
In addition to the legislation,
Ocasio-Cortez weighed
in on several New York City
issues.
Asked about her seemingly
positive reaction to
the announcement of Amazon’s
new location in Hudson
Yards, Ocastio-Cortez
downplayed her viral tweet
in response to the news.
“For me it’s not about
cheering on their arrival,
but I think it’s wrong that
people dangle these deals
over about heads,” she said.
The congresswoman announced
that her office is
about to send a letter to Governor
Andrew Cuomo asking
him to draw down increased
police presence in the MTA
preempting the addition of
500 state police officers to
the subway system. Ocasio-
Cortez added that attacks
on transit workers needs to
be addressed, but she would
suggest an alternative plan.
Reach reporter Max Parrott
by e-mail at mparrott@
schnepsmedia.com or by
phone at (718) 260-2507.
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