It's the taxpayers who own public housing. And officials they elect, like Mamdani, have a duty to help decide the best way to rescue it from dilapidation, writes columnist Howard Husock. AFP via Getty Images

It’s too soon to know if Zohran Mamdani’s meeting with President Donald Trump will mean more or less financial assistance for the city, but the mayor-elect should certainly not expect a bailout for public housing.

Team Trump plans to cut the Housing and Urban Development budget, not boost aid to entities like the New York City Housing Authority, which faces a $78 billion repair bill.

Fact is, only private investment can save the nation’s largest public-housing system.

Mamdani’s campaign promises include 200,000 new government-subsidized apartments, yet the existing stock of

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