Sanders Applauds LaGuardia Rebuild; Vows to Help MWBEs Get Their Fair Share

“I applaud the governor on an amazing and breathtaking plan to rebuild LaGuardia Airport,” Senator Sanders said, following the announcement. “I don’t think this has ever been done before, where we’ve taken an existing airport, with the same footprint, in an already built community and re-imagined it.”

The LaGuardia project will expand and improve the outdated hub with the new airport being constructed 600 feet closer to the Grand Central Parkway, more than doubling the existing space for air travel. The construction will create jobs, increase tourism, improve airport efficiency and boost commerce.

“It’s one of the hardest architectural and engineering undertakings you could imagine, however we are New York, and if anyone could do this, we could do this,” Sanders said. “Among the things we need to make sure of moving forward is that this development also builds the people of New York City, and not just the wealthy, but working people and people who need jobs.”

“We in Queens have every ability to provide most of the talent for everything that is needed for this project, so I am going to work to make sure that the governor is a success, including in his efforts to see that 30 percent of these projects are done by MWBEs,” Sanders continued. “I think that these communities, which make up the majority of the people of New York, have a right to benefit from the use of their tax dollars and the use of their public space.”

During his time as a City Council Member, Sanders authored Local Law 129, the city’s only affirmative action policy, promoting government contracting opportunities for businesses owned by minorities and women.