Mayor Zohran Mamdani pledged to expand eligibility for city housing vouchers according to City Council laws that his predecessor failed to implement. Faced with steep fiscal challenges, he said the city is now pursuing a settlement that balances housing needs and budget sustainability.

Mayor Mamdani speaking to reporters on Thursday. (Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office)

The Mamdani administration is backtracking on a campaign commitment to expand eligibility for the city’s housing voucher program.

Advocates have been calling for the new mayor to implement an expansion of the City Fighting Homelessness and Eviction Prevention Supplement (CityFHEPS) program that would enable people with higher incomes and people facing eviction to get rental subsidies.

The City Council passed the expansion in 2023, only for former Mayor Eric Adams to refuse to implement it. The Council then sued. Mamdani pledged to drop the suit during his campaign.

But facing a budget deficit, the expansion’s future became cloudy last month, as City Limits reported. On Thursday, the administration said it was pursuing a settlement in the case, rather than dropping it, as Mamdani had pledged while running for office.

“We got the promise of how this is going to be a new era in City Hall and in New York City, but it feels like the mayor is replicating similar failures from previous administrations in not really being bold and centering solutions … that can actually help us put a dent on the mass homelessness crisis,” said Adolfo Abreu, housing campaigns director at VOCAL-NY, a group that organizes with people in shelters.

The Mamdani administration is feeling the pressure of balancing its first budget, which has a $7 billion deficit. CityFHEPS currently serves over 65,000 households—making it the second largest voucher program in the country. Its budget soared to $1.25 billion last fiscal year, a five-fold increase since 2021. 

Comptroller Mark Levine estimated that implementing the Council’s expansion would increase the budget deficit by $6 to $20 billion in the next five years.

“Right now we are pursuing a settlement in this case and that is a pursuit that looks to both prevent homelessness in our city while also delivering a budget that is not just responsible, but also sustainable,” said Mayor Mamdani in response to a question about the expansion Thursday morning.

Under the program, voucher holders—usually people leaving city homeless shelters—pay 30 percent of their income in rent, with the voucher covering the remainder. Supporters say the expansion would help prevent homelessness before it starts and move vulnerable New Yorkers into housing.

The appeals court ruled that the mayor had to implement the expansion (a move Mamdani applauded at the time), only for the Adams administration to appeal it again.

Christine Quinn, CEO of Women in Need (WIN), which operates homeless shelters for families with children, was optimistic about Mamdani’s stance on vouchers when she spoke with City Limits a few weeks ago. She was disappointed to see the mayor walking it back.

“CityFHEPS is a proven program that has allowed thousands of New Yorkers to leave shelter for good. Amid a persistent homelessness crisis, we are asking Mayor Mamdani to honor his promise to drop the City’s legal challenge to CityFHEPS expansion and to provide a clear timeline for seeing this expansion through,” said Quinn in a statement to City Limits.

Women in Need released a report Thursday arguing that fully implementing the expansion would save the city $635 million by offsetting shelter costs. The report disputes claims by the Citizens Budget Commission, which highlighted the fast-growing budget for the program.

Councilmember Crystal Hudson, a member of the Council’s Progressive Caucus, also came out against Mamdami’s decision: “I am deeply disappointed by the Mayor’s reversal on implementing City law to expand CityFHEPS eligibility,” she said in a statement. “Affordability was a central campaign promise for the mayor, and expanding housing vouchers is one of the clearest ways to make good on that promise.”

It’s unclear what a settlement might look like, and what it means for the cost of the program and those potentially eligible. 

“We need leadership that’s able to say, ‘This is the plan for how we’re going to ensure that we’re, one, creating pathways for people out of homelessness,’” said Abreu. “And, more important for us—the expansion is crucial in this—providing support for people so they don’t have to become homeless in the first place.”

Edward Josephson, a lawyer for the Legal Aid Society working on the Council lawsuit, said Mamdani’s decision will only lead to further delays. “Meanwhile all the people in eviction proceedings that would have been covered by this law will not be,” he said.

Here’s what else happened in housing this week—

ICYMI, from City Limits:

Tenants who get affordable housing through the city’s lottery or a rental assistance voucher often can’t afford amenity fees in new mixed-income luxury buildings, creating what one described as a “two-tiered system” within New York City rentals.

Are you a renter with a complaint? The city wants to hear from you. Here’s what you need to know about attending the mayor’s “Rental Ripoff” hearings, which kick off Feb. 26.

ICYMI, from other local newsrooms:

The mayor has promised repeatedly to crackdown on bad landlords. But he’s spoken little about NYCHA—which he now oversees—where tenants have long faced deteriorating conditions, the New York Times reports.

Mamdani’s new housing commissioner is a renter herself, and THE CITY detailed her search to find an apartment in the five boroughs.

Gothamist reports on the New Yorkers who lost their lives during the recent extreme cold, several of whom had housing at the time of their deaths.

New York’s housing shortage has consequences beyond sky-high rents: the state could lose seats in Congress as its population shrinks, New York Focus reports.

Happy Valentines Day: Meet the two married New Yorkers who were set up by their doorman, via the New York Post.

To reach the reporter behind this story, contact Patrick@citylimits.org. To reach the editor, contact Jeanmarie@citylimits.org

Want to republish this story? Find City Limits’ reprint policy here.

The post ‘Honor His Promise’: Advocates Criticize Mamdani’s CityFHEPS Reversal, and What Else Happened This Week in Housing appeared first on City Limits.

By KONSTANTIN TOROPIN and JON GAMBRELL, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States will send the world’s largest aircraft carrier to the Middle East to back up another already there, a person familiar with the plans said Friday, putting more American firepower behind President Donald Trump’s efforts to coerce Iran into a deal over its nuclear program.

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The USS Gerald R. Ford’s planned deployment to the Mideast comes after Trump only days earlier suggested another round of talks with the Iranians was at hand. Those negotiations didn’t materialize as one of Tehran’s top security officials visited Oman and Qatar this week and exchanged messages with the U.S. intermediaries.

Already, Gulf Arab nations have warned any attack could spiral into another regional conflict in a Mideast still reeling from the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Iranians are beginning to hold 40-day mourning ceremonies for the thousands killed in Tehran’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests last month, adding to the internal pressure faced by the sanctions-battered Islamic Republic.

The Ford’s deployment, first reported by The New York Times, will put two carriers and their accompanying warships in the region. Already, the USS Abraham Lincoln and its accompanying guided-missile destroyers are in the Arabian Sea.

The person who spoke to The Associated Press on the deployment did so on condition of anonymity to discuss military movements.

Ford had been part of Venezuela strike force

It marks a quick turnaround for the Ford, which Trump sent from the Mediterranean Sea to the Caribbean last October as the administration built up a huge military presence in the lead-up to the surprise raid last month that captured then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

It also appears to be at odds with Trump’s national security strategy, which put an emphasis on the Western Hemisphere over other parts of the world.

Trump on Thursday warned Iran that failure to reach a deal with his administration would be “very traumatic.” Iran and the United States held indirect talks in Oman last week.

“I guess over the next month, something like that,” Trump said in response to a question about his timeline for striking a deal with Iran on its nuclear program. “It should happen quickly. They should agree very quickly.”

Trump told Axios earlier this week that he was considering sending a second carrier strike group to the Middle East.

Trump held lengthy talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and said he insisted to Israel’s leader that negotiations with Iran needed to continue. Netanyahu is urging the administration to press Tehran to scale back its ballistic missile program and end its support for militant groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah as part of any deal.

The USS Ford set out on deployment in late June 2025, which means the crew will have been deployed for eight months in two weeks time. While it is unclear how long the ship will remain in the Middle East, the move sets the crew up for an unusually long deployment.

The White House didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

Ford’s deployment comes as Iran mourns

Iran at home faces still-simmering anger over its wide-ranging suppression of all dissent in the Islamic Republic. That rage may intensify in the coming days as families of the dead begin marking the traditional 40-day mourning for the loved ones. Already, online videos have shown mourners gathering in different parts of the country, holding portraits of their dead.

One video purported to show mourners at a graveyard in Iran’s Razavi Khorasan province on Thursday. There, with a large portable speaker, people sang the patriotic song “Ey Iran,” which dates to 1940s Iran under the rule of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. While initially banned after the 1979 Islamic Revolution, Iran’s theocratic government has played it to drum up support.

“Oh Iran, a land of full of jewels, your soil is full of art,” they sang. “May evil wishes be far from you. May you live eternal. Oh enemy, if you are a piece of granite, I am iron.”

Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates. Associated Press writer Aamer Madhani contributed to this report.

By DAVE SKRETTA, Associated Press Sports Writer

MILAN (AP) — The International Skating Union says it stands by the judging of ice dance at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics, where the scores from the French judge earlier this week played a big role in the French couple of Laurence Fournier Beaudry and Guillaume Cizeron beating the American team of Madison Chock and Evan Bates.

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The judge, Jezabel Dabouis, favored Beaudry and Cizeron by nearly eight points over the three-time world champions in the free dance, a margin so large that if her score was removed from the equation entirely, Chock and Bates would have won gold.

“It is normal for there to be a range of scores given by different judge in any panel and a number of mechanism are used to mitigate these variations,” the ISU said, adding it has “full confidence in the scores given and remains completely committed to fairness.”

There is little recourse for the U.S. team if the global governing body is unwilling to investigate the scoring discrepancy.

This is not the first time Dabouis has turned in questionable scores for Beaudry and Cizeron. At the Grand Prix Final in December, when Chock and Bates beat them in their only other head-to-head matchup, the judge had the Americans narrowly beating them in the free dance despite two deductions, including an egregious fall. The French team wound up with a silver medal.

Dabouis also had a wide margin favoring the French couple in the Olympic rhythm dance, when they also beat the U.S. team.

“Any time the public is confused by results, it does a disservice to our sport,” said Chock, who along with Bates won a second straight team gold medal earlier in the Games. “I think it’s hard to retain fans when it’s difficult to understand what is happening on the ice.

“People need to understand what they’re cheering for and be able to feel confident in the sport that they’re supporting.”

The most famous judging controversy in Olympic figure skating also involved a French judge.

During the 2002 Salt Lake Games, Elena Berezhnaya and Anton Sikharulidze of Russia won gold over the Canadian pair Jamie Sale and David Pelletier. But allegations of vote-swapping and selling of votes by French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne led to an investigation by the ISU and the International Olympic Committee, and she was ultimately found guilty of misconduct and suspended.

Sale and Pelletier ultimately were elevated to gold while the Russian pair was allowed to keep their medals.

Two years later, the ISU eliminated its 6.0 judging system due to its inherent subjectivity. The replacement system, which has been tweaked over the years but remains in place, features two scores added together: one where each element is graded off a base value to establish a technical score and another where judges provide a component score for overall skating skill and performance.

Many critics have called the system overly confusing and still too subjective, and more than 10,000 people had signed a Change.org petition by Friday asking the ISU and IOC to investigate the latest scoring controversy.

“We did speak to our coach, and we did talk to each other, and we know how we felt on center ice after we skated,” Bates said. “We felt like we delivered our absolute best performance that we could have. It was our Olympic moment. It felt like a winning skate to us and that’s what we’re going to hold on to.”

By DEREK GATOPOULOS and BRIAN MELLEY, Associated Press

TESERO, Italy (AP) — Friday the 13th will be remembered as a lucky day for Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo. Norway’s cross-country skiing star won an eighth gold medal at the Milan Cortina Olympics Friday, tying an all‑time Winter Games record. The 29‑year‑old claimed victory in the men’s 10 kilometer interval‑start race, for his third gold at the 2026 games.

Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo, of Norway, competes in the cross country skiing men’s 10km interval start free at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Tesero, Italy, Friday, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Matthias Schrader)

Will three races still ahead of him, Klaebo now shares the record with three other Norwegian athletes who have all retired: Marit Bjoergen and Bjoern Daehlie in cross-country skiing and Ole Einar Bjoerndalen in the biathlon. Klaebo again gained vital ground in the final hill and clocked 20 minutes, 36.2 seconds, showing rare signs of fatigue as he collapsed at the finish line of the race considered to be his toughest challenge.

He was 4.9 seconds head of Frances’s Mathis Desloges and 14 in front of his main challenger Einar Hedegart also of Norway who lost momentum on the last hill.

“It’s a special day,” Klaebo said. “This one means a lot for sure … I’m lost for words.”

The Norwegian said he was happy with his tactics, racing the first half of the course with a controlled pace, saving energy for a burst up the last hill and home stretch.

“It was really hard out there today so I’m very proud,” he said.

Over at the French camp, athletes and team officials celebrated as if they had one the race, linking arms and dancing on the snow after underdog Mathis Desloges won his second silver medal, competing at his first Olympics at Milan Cortina. “I trained incredibly hard for these races,” Desloges said. “I told people I was at this level — and now we are delivering.” The 23-year-old Frenchman, like many other top racers in the interval start, was mostly unaware of his position during the race.

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“I don’t really pay attention to what’s being shouted from the sidelines,” he said. “Honestly, I don’t listen to them. I just focus on my race. I know what I have to do and I give it everything.” On a blue-sky day in northern Italy, with the race track surrounded by the snow-capped Dolomite mountains, temperatures hovered around 5 degrees Celsius (41 Fahrenheit). A few racers chose to compete wearing only their race bibs.

Organizers had treated the course with salt Thursday to harden the surface but left it untouched Friday — a decision that favored Klaebo, who started early among the seeded skiers. Celebrations were led by Norwegian fans: national flags — red with a blue cross outlined in white — were draped over athletes and the railing on the spectators’ area. Klaebo’s grandfather, Kare Hoesflot, who helped launch his career traveled to northern Italy to watch the race, while messages of congratulations poured in from back home, where cross-country skiing is a prime time sport.

“Another show of strength from Johannes Hoesflot Klaebo. What a performance in a thriller of a race! Congratulations on gold number three in these Olympics!,” Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere wrote on social media. Finn Dahl, a retired marketing manager from Norway, watched Klaebo win, and credited his success to relentless hard work.

“He’s so dedicated. He sacrificed everything in terms of training, how he eats, how he sleeps and calms down after races,” he said.

“It’s fantastic … he’s up to eight now,” Dahl said. “I hope he’ll be the biggest winner ever.”