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QUEENS WEEKLY, DECEMBER 22, 2019
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
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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