NEW YORK — Many New York City lawmakers on Capitol Hill argue Ida’s wrath makes one thing abundantly clear: a big federal investment to address climate change is needed.

“Our city's ill-equipped for a world of catastrophic climate change,” said Bronx Democratic Rep. Ritchie Torres.

The remnants of Hurricane Ida wreaked havoc on the city, leaving more than a dozen New Yorkers dead, cars underwater, and subway platforms flooded.

“Between the mass burials during the early months of COVID-19 and the almost Biblical flooding from Hurricane Ida, there's a sense in which I feel like I'm living through the apocalypse as a New Yorker,” Torres said.

Congress is currently working on two massive infrastructure bills. In light of Ida, several New Yorkers stressed the importance of getting those bills passed.

At the White House, President Joe Biden echoed that sentiment. Speaking Thursday, he doubled down on his call for passage of both a bipartisan traditional infrastructure bill and a $3.5 trillion Democratic proposal that includes climate spending — the cornerstones of his domestic agenda.

“Hurricane Ida didn't care if you were a Democrat or a Republican, rural or urban,” he said. “This destruction is everywhere.”

But the fate of those bills remains unclear in the sharply divided Congress.

In her Staten Island district, Republican Rep. Nicole Malliotakis said she saw water damage in areas usually not prone to flooding.

She acknowledged the city has drainage problems tied to infrastructure, but in an interview would not commit to supporting the bipartisan hard infrastructure spending proposal.

“Well, I would like for it to come for a vote. I'd like to have a debate on it,” she said. “We haven't even heard debate on it yet.”

She also argued that in her view, local tax revenue needs to be better spent to address infrastructure needs.

Meanwhile, a key Democrat, Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, caused a stir Thursday when he urged lawmakers to hit the pause button on the $3.5 trillion proposal, saying it could aggravate inflation. If he opposes the measure, it would sink the Biden plan.

Progressive Congressman Jamaal Bowman, who represents the Bronx and Westchester County, fired back at the senator.

“Joe Manchin’s issue is passing on debt to our children,” he said. “But what if we pass on a planet that is dying to our children? That's worse than passing on debt.”

Democrats are currently in the process of drafting that larger, multi-trillion dollar bill, setting up potential votes for the weeks ahead.

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