Democratic lawmakers in Washington are bringing more pork home to the city than a royal Polynesian wedding feast.
The money is coming from two sources – the $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure bill, which the Senate is expected to pass this weekend; and the recently passed House bill (H.R. 4502), which is a package of seven earmarked appropriation bills making investments in federal programs and initiatives including infrastructure, education, small business and job opportunity.
U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) said the state will be getting a total of $89.9B, with $20B going toward highway funding and nearly $1B will go towards airports including roughly $295M for JFK Airport and $150M for Laguardia Airport.
The bulk of the funding will be headed towards rail projects, as $59 billion is being allocated to projects such as Amtrak national network and modernizing the Northeast Corridor. The MTA will be receiving at least $10.7B.
“The bipartisan infrastructure deal will be a record building and jobs boon for critical New York needs from Massena to Massapequa, and everywhere in between,” said Schumer. “Whether it’s the needs of the MTA, projects like Gateway, the Second Avenue subway, the East River Tunnels, Penn Access and others, this deal represents massive investments that will rebuild and revive the Empire State’s infrastructure. From clean drinking water to upgraded sewer to repairing bridges and subway tunnels, there is more work to be done, but billions are on the way to move on it, create good jobs and advance critical projects.”
U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Queens) was able to secure $86.5M for New York’s 5th Congressional District. The bill will provide $44.8M funding for schools, $26.2M in funding for veteran’s healthcare and $367k in job training in the district.
“This package of bills continues our progress to invest in America and includes provisions to help New York City and State build back better. New York City was the epicenter of the pandemic with my district being one of the hardest-hit areas and this funding is essential to reviving our economy,” said Meeks.
The House also passed nine community projects in New York’s 14th congressional district proposed by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-Queens/Bronx). This includes 100k towards a college access program, 175k towards a home health aide training program, and $3M towards renovating obstetrical inpatient facilities renovation.
The full list of projects proposed by Ocasio-Cortez can be found here.
U.S. Rep. Nydia Velazquez (Brooklyn/Queens/Manhattan) was able to secure funding for several projects for New York’s Congressional District 7. These projects range from youth education initiatives to creating jobs that fight climate change. The list of her proposed projects can be found here
“With the COVID-19 pandemic taking a deep toll on our most vulnerable communities, it was especially important that in crafting this bill, we made sure federal dollars reach the organizations and initiatives on the ground that are helping to support working families,” said Velazquez.
“ In everything from job training and mentorship for youth living in public housing to ensuring culturally appropriate mental health services are available to those struggling, these funding projects will go a long way towards achieving a more prosperous and just New York City.”
