At a news conference in Albany, Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo said that the bill agreed on by the Senate does not provide enough relief for New York state.
What We Know:
- The $2 trillion bill includes relief for workers, families, and businesses and boosts funding for hospitals as well as provides $3.8 billion to the state, with $1.3 billion of that allocated to New York City.
- Cuomo called the relief “a drop in the bucket” compared to what is needed for the state of New York to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Cuomo said the coronavirus pandemic has already cost the state approximately $1 billion and could cost as much as $15 billion. He called the bill “troublesome” and said the “numbers don’t work”.
- Lawmakers engaged in heated debates over the bill for days before announcing from the Senate floor around 1 a.m. Wednesday that a deal had been reached.
- “If we don’t get more money from the federal government I don’t know how we’re going to do the budget. That’s why this bill is so troublesome,” Cuomo said. “I’m going to fight for the people of New York and we need more help than this bill gives us.”
The state currently has 30,811 COVID-19 cases, with 17,856 in New York City. There have been 271 deaths.
