Schumer, Espaillat Statement on President Biden’s FY23 Discretionary Budget Proposal.
Touts Inclusion of Funding Critical for Phase II of the Second Avenue Subway. WASHINGTON, DC – Today, U.S. Senate Majority Leaders Charles E. Schumer and Representative Adriano Espaillat (NY-13) issued the following joint statement in response to the release of President Biden’s Budget for Fiscal Year 2023, which includes $4.5 billion for the Capital Investment Grant program, including $400 million for the construction of Phase II of the Second Avenue Subway extension:
“As New York City continues to rebuild – while working towards economic recovery and addressing the inequalities faced by communities of color that were exacerbated during the pandemic – investing in transit equity improvements is a must,” said the Members. “The Second Avenue Subway extension will improve our local economy and small business development, while addressing these environmental and social issues.
“We are delighted to see President Biden take this monumental step today and commit to getting New York City the funding we need to get this transformational project off the ground. We have long championed expansion of the Second Avenue Subway and the topic as remained at the forefront of our discussions with the President, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, as well as Governor Kathy Hochul, to ensure that this project – and those that call our neighborhoods home – are not left behind. Expanding these services and reliable transportation will support the livelihood of over 100,000 East Harlem residents who currently experience barriers to job opportunities, educational advancement, and access to hospitals and medical care because of the lack of public transportation. When complete, the Second Avenue Subway extension will reshape the fabric of our neighborhoods and all of New York City – connecting Harlem to the rest of the world. We look forward to the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) approving this project to the next and final phase, which we expect to be announced later this year.”
The proposed budget reflects the Biden Administration's vision to help families in communities around the nation recover and prosper. In 2016, Second Avenue Subway Phase II was selected to participate in the federal cost-share Capital Investment Grants Program. House Democrats increased funding authority for this program as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, which is a crucial piece of President Biden and Congressional Democrats’ Build Back Better Agenda to repair and expand America's infrastructure, create good-paying jobs, tackle the climate crisis, and grow economic opportunity for American businesses, workers, and families across the country. Representative Espaillat is the first Dominican American to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives and his congressional district includes Harlem, East Harlem, West Harlem, Hamilton Heights, Washington Heights, Inwood, Marble Hill and the north-west Bronx. First elected to Congress in 2016, Representative Espaillat is serving his third term in Congress. Representative Espaillat currently serves as a member of the influential U.S. House Committee on Appropriations responsible for funding the federal government’s vital activities. He is also a member of the House Committee on Education and Labor and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), where he serves in a leadership role as the Second Vice Chair and is a member of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, where he serves as Deputy Whip. Representative Espaillat also currently serves as a Senior Whip of the Democratic Caucus. To find out more about Rep. Espaillat, visit online at https://espaillat.house.gov/. | 
No comments:
Post a Comment