On Monday, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) voiced concerns about the city becoming too expensive for working-class residents. Her remarks came amidst a broader conversation about the migrant crisis and Mayor Eric Adams’ proposed budget cuts, which include reductions in police funding and spending on essential services like schools, libraries, and cultural arts programs.

Speaking at a town hall meeting, Ocasio-Cortez argued that it is the working-class citizens who are feeling the brunt of the city’s high costs, not the wealthy elite.

“The people who are moving out of the city are not by and large the wealthiest people. They’re the working class. They can’t afford to live here anymore,” she stated.

But the New York Post editorial board has slammed Ocasio-Cortez for her statements in an editorial published on Tuesday. While the board did not dispute her claims, they put the blame for the surging costs of living in the city on the representative and argued that her progressive agenda is responsible for the very challenges she highlights.

“For once, AOC is right: ‘They can’t afford to live here anymore,’ she said Monday of working-class Gothamites. The thing is, it’s the policies that she and her progressive allies want more of that have made the city so expensive,” the editorial stated.

One major point of contention highlighted in the editorial is AOC’s support for policies that promote unrestricted immigration even amid the country’s border crisis, which has contributed to the strain on New York City’s resources.

The cost of housing is another pressing issue, with one-third of New Yorkers paying more than half their income on rent. Calls for more rent control, supported by left-leaning lawmakers, have only worsened the housing shortage.

“A recent survey shows a third of New Yorkers are paying over half their income for rent. Lefties used that fact to call for even more rent control — which in fact is a huge reason city housing is so limited,” the editorial said.

The board also pointed out that progressive lawmakers have hindered the construction of affordable housing by blocking key tax incentives for developers and enacting regulations that remove existing housing units from the market.

Hence, New York City is projected to see “only 11,000 new units built this year, half the number from 2022.”

Furthermore, AOC’s climate change agenda was criticized for “sending power prices for New Yorkers skyward.” The left’s support for criminal justice reforms was also highlighted, as the editorial said the reforms have led to “billions of dollars stolen by shoplifting thugs from retailers big and small.”

While AOC’s big solution is taxing the rich, the editorial argued that this approach, like progressive policies, is driving wealthy individuals out of the state and city, further eroding the tax base.