The New York City Council voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to override Mayor Eric Adams’ veto of housing bills that would expand rental assistance, dealing the mayor his first major legislative blow in a rare showdown between the two main branches of the city’s government.
The 42-8 vote marked the first time the Council has overridden a mayor in nearly a decade. Adams’ predecessor, Bill de Blasio, had an unusually collegial relationship with the Council and didn’t issue a single veto during his eight years in office.
“The fact that we have to override a veto is incomprehensible to me,” said Council Speaker Adrienne Adams, referring to the four bills that she argued would help prevent people from needing to enter homeless shelters.
Less than two years into his term, Adams has butted heads with the Council on issues such as the migrant crisis, the city’s response to the recent air quality emergency, and the recent budget.
Now, both sides are locked in a contentious battle over how much the city should expand rental subsidies during a worsening affordable housing crisis.
Councilmembers say distributing more aid to low-income New Yorkers at risk of eviction is crucial at a moment when rents are soaring and the population of the city’s shelter system has reached record levels.
Adams has objected to the costs of funding an expansion, which city budget officials have estimated at $17 billion. The Council has said the amount would be closer to $11 billion.
“Unlike the [City Council], we do not … believe that New Yorkers should spend $17 billion on a package of bills that would put New Yorkers in shelter at the back of the line for a CityFHEPS voucher and make it harder for them to find permanent housing,” Adams said in a prepared statement after the vote. “We will continue to do all that we can to build more housing and tackle decades of exclusionary zoning policies that have prevented our city from building an adequate housing supply. We are reviewing our…
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