Washington, D.C. - Today, Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY), along with Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) led a group of New York Congressional Delegation Members on a letter to the New York State Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance (OTDA) urging an immediate disbursement of federally-provided Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP) funds. With many New Yorkers on the verge of eviction and rates of Delta variant transmission surging, New York has disbursed only a fraction of its $2.4 billion in funds, a dangerous form of state-administered negligence.

"When we passed the American Rescue Plan and the omnibus spending bill, I fought to include billions in rental assistance for Americans at risk of eviction. Of the more than $46 billion I helped secure, $2.4 billion was allocated to New York. Yet despite possessing billions in funds, New York State has come up embarrassingly short, disbursing only a fraction of what sits idle in its coffers. To add insult to injury, the online application portal through which New Yorkers can apply for funds is riddled with glitches, confusing information, and limited non-English resources," said Congressman Nadler. "With New York's eviction moratorium set to expire on August 31st and COVID-19 infection numbers rising precipitously, this is not an issue that can be ignored. I strongly urge the OTDA to improve its practices so that New Yorkers can receive the funds they need."

Reps. Nadler and Ocasio-Cortez and Senators Schumer and Gillibrand were joined on the letter by Reps. Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), Brian Higgins (D-NY), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Grace Meng (D-NY), Mondaire Jones (D-NY), Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Joseph Morelle (D-NY), Paul Tonko (D-NY), Thomas Suozzi (D-NY), and Sean Patrick Maloney (D-NY).

The letter is available here.