Mayor and Sen. Schumer Celebrate Infrastructure Deal, Continue their Focus on New York’s Need to Rely on Federal Funding

 By Yehudit Garmaise

“Transcendent,” “incredibly moving,” and “unbelievable progress” are the words Mayor Bill de Blasio used this morning about the $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill that President Biden signed yesterday at a White House event that the mayor and Gov. Kathy Hochul attended.

“We are going to change the city for years to come,” said Mayor de Blasio this morning about the bill that is called the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. 

“This is a big, big deal, and it is going to allow us to do things that were almost impossible to imagine. 

“The bill will change America permanently.”

Among many other agencies that will receive generous pieces of the federal funds, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) will be receiving $10 billion for mass transit, which Gov. Hochul announced yesterday will prevent the cutbacks and the fare hikes that so many feared would be necessary for mass transit in New York City.

“In addition, New York City will also receive $2 million to repair bridges and tunnels and $685 million to improve airports,” said the mayor, who has long-hailed federal funding, such as from the president’s January $1.9 trillion stimulus package, as crucial to the city’s recovery.                                                                                                       

Throughout this year during which federal funding has rained down on the country and on NYC, however, the mayor has never mentioned the inflation that has already resulted and the high taxes that are sure to follow so much government spending.

Today, the mayor told Sen. Chuck Schumer that his work on the infrastructure bill is “bringing back a fractured country and achieving this legislation we couldn’t have dreamed of this in our wildest dreams.”

After the city received billions of dollars from the federal government this year, however, BoroPark24 wondered, how the city and its 200,000 businesses could, perhaps, focus on creating wealth, and not just spending it?

“Interesting question,” the mayor said. “This is a city that has created wealth on a grand scale for generations. 

“Think about every day, the stories of New Yorkers who started with very little and turned it into something great.”

In fact, of the city’s 200,000 businesses, 89% of which employ fewer than 20 employees, according to NYC’s Small Business Services. 

“It is the New York story,” the mayor said.

Instead of focusing on the private creation of wealth, however, the mayor once again emphasized his belief that New York City must rely on the federal government to generate funds.

“The fact is this investment that we are seeing from the federal government is actually going to allow us now to build upon our strengths,” the mayor said. “New York City had a fundamental challenge. One of the oldest cities in America with an infrastructure that had been neglected for lack of federal investment, and that is finally going to change.

“[This funding] is going to release an immense amount of economic activity, a lot of jobs, and then when people get those jobs, they are going to create their own businesses and create wealth and that is the whole beautiful potential of this.”