You are reading

Queens Congress Members Want Rent and Mortgage Payments To Be Canceled Due To COVID-19

Apartments in Jackson Heights (wiki)

May 5, 2020 By Michael Dorgan

Several Queens Congress Members have demanded the national cancellation of all rent and mortgage payments for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic – and for six months afterward.

Lawmakers Grace Meng, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Carolyn Maloney, Nydia Velázquez and Hakeem Jeffries wrote to House and Senate leaders Tuesday urging them to include these provisions as part of the next federal stimulus package. The letter was signed by five other New York City Congress Members.

The group said that the economic shutdown has caused unprecedented unemployment and that many people will end up homeless if rent and mortgage payments are not forgiven.

“For families with little to no savings to fall back on, this has been, and will continue be, catastrophic as they try to keep food on the table, cover the cost of prescription drugs, or meet other expenses,” the letter states.

“Further, as state unemployment systems face an unprecedented and overwhelming demand, millions more are expected to lose their sources of income,” it reads.

Under the plan, a fund would be created and administered by the Department of Housing and Urban Development whereby landlords would be reimbursed the cost of canceling rent for their tenants. This universal program would ensure that all renters are covered without introducing costly bureaucratic measures that would slow the receipt of aid, the group said.

Homeowners would also be able to get their mortgage payments forgiven through the same program. This would preserve homeownership for families and avoid investors taking advantage of potential bankruptcy auctions in the property market, the letter states.

The program would extend to include anyone with a current residential lease, small private landlords, public housing authorities, nonprofit organizations and housing cooperatives.

The letter did not outline how much the entire program would cost although Lauren Hitt, a spokeswoman for Ocasio-Cortez, told the New York Post that rent cancellation alone would cost about $66 billion per month.

email the author: [email protected]
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

CM Moya announces support for massive Metropolitan Park proposal near Citi Field

Council Member Francisco Moya announced his support for Metropolitan Park, a proposal put forward by New York Mets owner Steve Cohen and Hard Rock International that calls for the construction of a casino and entertainment complex on the parking lot just west of Citi Field.

In a lengthy statement released on Thursday afternoon, Moya said that when he was first approached about the project, his main consideration was ensuring that it would meet the needs of his constituents and provide a major boost to the local economy.

Long Island man charged in fatal Flushing hit-and-run that left 81-year-old man dead: NYPD

A Long Island truck driver was arrested on Tuesday and booked at the 109th Precinct in Flushing for a fatal hit-and-run collision that killed a Murray Hill senior who was riding an electric bike on Northern Boulevard three months ago.

Kyle Schreiber, 27, of Lincoln Boulevard in Hauppauge, was charged with leaving the scene of an accident resulting in the death of 81-year-old Peter Seo on the morning of Thursday, Dec. 28.