House Speaker Nancy Pelosi rejected Governor Cuomo’s claim that a $ 50 billion federal aid package for the state was insufficient.
“Unfortunately, we have seen more than 1.5 million coronavirus cases, almost 45,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands of jobs lost in New York,” wrote Pelosi in a letter to Congressional Democrats in New York on Thursday. “Know that your concerns are being addressed in the way that you have advanced and with the enthusiastic defense of leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.”
The letter was obtained and reported for the first time by the Albany Times Union.
In the letter, Pelosi said the real money the Empire State was supposed to receive was already close to $ 70 billion.
“Overall, the state of New York will receive more than $ 50 billion in state and local funding, and more than $ 20 billion in additional funding to support the health, financial security and well-being of families,” she wrote.
Pelosi’s missive was the last of a furious letter written between the state and the speaker. On Tuesday, NY House Dems sent Pelosi a letter asking for more money. This came after a previous note from Cuomo to the entire state delegation last week, demanding at least $ 15 billion more in aid.
The state bailout will be pulled from Joe Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus aid package, which is now being handled in Congress.
The package currently provides New York $ 12.6 billion in funding to help coronavirus; $ 10.64 billion for local governments; $ 12.3 billion for schools and $ 8.8 billion for the state’s perennially underfunded transit system.
The state faces a $ 63 billion revenue shortfall, which has plummeted as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.