President Joe Biden’s administration will approve the release of $107 million in federal migrant aid for New York City following accusations that city officials delayed filing the paperwork needed to unlock the funds.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s (D-NY) office told the New York Daily News on Thursday of the update regarding the aid, which was allocated to the city by Congress last summer. Mayor Eric Adams reportedly filed the required budgetary documentation to the federal government last Friday, along with a waiver asking for a relaxation of the cap on hotel expenses.
Schumer’s office said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will approve the waiver Friday afternoon. Currently, rules say spending on hotel rooms for immigrants cannot exceed 10% of the total federal aid request, but FEMA is expected to increase that figure to 15% in response to Adams administration’s waiver.
Last week, a Biden administration official told the New York Daily News the funds were delayed because Adams’s administration failed to submit the correct paperwork for several months.
“Unfortunately, they have not stepped up to the plate,” the unidentified Biden official said. “There really isn’t a federal government problem here. They just haven’t submitted the documentation to unlock the funds.”
Adams rebuked the comments from the White House, calling out the lack of federal support the city has received.
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“Have you guys stepped up to the plate?” Adams said during a news briefing on March 5. “Ask them, have they stepped up to the plate? New Yorkers have stepped up to the plate.”
Adams has been pleading with the Biden administration to send additional federal help for the city’s migrant crisis. More than 150,000 immigrants have made their way to the city since 2022. New York has a long-standing policy of providing shelter to anyone in the city who doesn’t have housing.
