Nicole Malliotakis

The Republican-led Congress is working on a housing bill that offers "real opportunity" to expand homeownership and increase affordability, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y., told Newsmax on Thursday.

Appearing on "Wake Up America" with co-hosts Marc Lotter and Sharla McBride, Malliotakis blasted 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 even tenants themselves.

"This is obviously something that is a part of the Communist playbook to seize private property," Malliotakis said.

Malliotakis argued New York City government already struggles to manage public housing effectively through the New York City Housing Authority, which she described as plagued by poor living conditions and chronic neglect.

"Here's the largest slumlord in the city of New York — the city of New York itself — saying that they can do a better job," she said.

While acknowledging the need to hold abusive landlords accountable, Malliotakis said New York's aggressive regulations and mandates 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.

"There's some real opportunity here," Malliotakis said, pointing to efforts in Congress to increase affordability and encourage private-sector housing development.

The House and Senate are currently working to reconcile differences in a bipartisan housing package designed to expand the national housing supply and promote homeownership.

Malliotakis also highlighted her own proposal to reduce capital gains taxes for seniors selling longtime family homes, arguing the 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.

Malliotakis further criticized city spending on homeless shelters rather than permanent housing, calling current costs "ludicrous" and urging a federal investigation into how taxpayer dollars are being spent.

During the interview, Malliotakis also took aim at the activist group Code Pink, accusing the organization of undermining U.S. national security through alleged ties to communist China, Iran, and Cuba.

"This is actually an organization that is undermining the U.S. government," she said, while praising ongoing Treasury and Justice Department investigations into the group.

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