May, NY senators to McConnell: Local governments need federal aid

In a letter to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the six senators — including state Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and state Sen. Rachel May, who represents the Syracuse area — wrote that the U.S. Senate's failure to approve aid for state and local governments has "pushed New York into a desperate financial situation, and the state has taken drastic measures as a result."