NYS Republican Leaders Urge Congress to Provide Aid for State & Local Governments

Albany, NY – New York State Senate Republican Leader Rob Ortt and New York State Assembly Republican Leader Will Barclay today urged New York State’s Congressional Delegation to include direct financial assistance for state and local governments in any potential next round of federal coronavirus stimulus legislation. Without federal aid to New York and its localities, Governor Cuomo and Democrat legislators in Albany have signaled a willingness to deliver devastating tax hikes and service cuts all across the state.

“New York is in a veritable crisis right now. Whether through profligate spending, dishonest projections, or losses incurred throughout the pandemic, One-Party-Rule has failed millions of our neighbors living through a spiraling state economy. While we wish our state had been better managed so we could face this and any other disastrous predicament head-on, we don’t believe that local governments, workers, small businesses, and service providers should be penalized for the mistakes of Albany Democrats. To preserve critical services and prevent devastating state tax hikes, we urge you to deliver a coronavirus stimulus package that could help everyday New Yorkers,” said Senate Republican Leader Ortt.

“The only way to successfully overcome the significant challenges New York now faces is with help from our partners in Washington. The viability of our cities, our schools, our local governments, our workforce, and our entire infrastructure depends on federal action. Years of gross fiscal mismanagement and botched budgeting by Democrats put New York State in a precarious financial position – even during strong economic times. But the unprecedented impact of COVID now threatens families, small businesses, and municipalities in every corner of the state. We know a willingness exists among federal officials to deliver additional COVID relief, and we remain hopeful that they will find a way,” said Assembly Republican Leader Barclay.

New York is currently facing a $14.5 billion deficit. Though many of these losses were incurred due to the COVID-19 pandemic, New York was more than $6 billion in the hole to start the year, the largest state deficit in a decade. With approval of his Democrat allies in the state legislature, the Governor has begun withholding critical state aid to school districts, local governments, and non-profits. 

In the letter sent to New York’s Congressional Delegation, Leaders Ortt and Barclay endorsed the Problem Solvers’ Caucus recent proposal as a blueprint for the next coronavirus stimulus package. The compromise plan would provide direct aid to state and local governments, enhanced unemployment benefits, stimulus checks targeted to working families, small business loans, and funding for schools and testing.

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