Meng And Schumer Hail House Passage Of Meng Measure To Spend Nearly $120 Million To Address Flooding In Queens

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Rep. Grace Meng (D-Queens) and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) applauded the House passage of the National Defense Authorization Act (H.R. 7776) which includes Meng's legislation that seeks to address flooding in Queens.

Meng's measure, which is part of the Water Resources and Development Act reauthorization, would authorize the Army Corps of Engineers to spend nearly $120 million to work with the City of New York in upgrading environmental infrastructure in the borough. These include projects to help improve water and wastewater infrastructure, storm water management and combined sewer overflows.

"As we have recently seen, storms and heavy rain have caused serious flooding and sewer overflows throughout Queens, resulting in damage to homes and other property," said Congresswoman Meng. "That is why fighting for federal resources to help combat the problem has been a top priority of mine. Queens felt the brunt of Hurricane Ida last year and had to deal with more flooding caused by storms this year. Constituents shouldn't have to worry if their homes, cars and streets will flood every time rain is forecasted, and the House's passage of my legislation gets us one step closer to remedying the problem."

"Hurricane Ida devastated communities across New York, and Queens in particular suffered immense damage to its roads, businesses and homes, and lives were tragically lost," said Senator Schumer. "I visited Queens after the storm with Representative Meng and we worked together to deliver this valuable federal support to improve flood protection and upgrade our water and sewer systems."

"As climate change advances and we combat one of our greatest threats, New Yorkers are facing dangerous flooding and extreme rainfall events with more and more frequency," said New York City Mayor Eric Adams. "Representative Meng has fought tirelessly on behalf of Queens, and the passage of this legislation brings us one step closer to ensuring the Queens communities hit hardest by flooding have the resources to protect their homes, their streets, and their neighborhoods."

"I could not be more grateful for the leadership of Representative Grace Meng and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to bring us one step closer to securing $120 million in critically important infrastructure improvements for Queens," said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr. "Queens has experienced far more than its fair share of devastating extreme weather in recent years, from Superstorm Sandy to Hurricane Ida and beyond, overwhelming our inadequate infrastructure. But this vital pot of federal funding is nothing short of a game changer for The World's Borough as we continue to combat climate change with all our might."

The NDAA is the annual defense spending legislation, and the measure now heads to the Senate.

The Water Resources Development Act gives the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers authority to carry out water development projects and studies, among other things. Allowing the Army Corps of Engineers to spend the money is the first step in the process. If signed into law, Congress would still need to provide funding for the Corps to carry out the environmental infrastructure projects in Queens.

Congresswoman Meng is New York's senior member of the House Appropriations Committee, which provides funding for federal agencies and programs including the Army Corps.

This is the second time that the House approved Meng's legislation. It previously passed in June.