House speaker Nancy Pelosi shot a claim by Governor Cuomo that a $ 50 billion federal aid package was insufficient for the state.
“Unfortunately, we are seeing more than 1.5 million coronavirus cases, nearly 45,000 deaths and hundreds of thousands of job losses in New York,” Pelosi wrote in a letter to New York congressional Democrats on Thursday. “Please know that your concerns are being addressed in a way that you have developed and with the enthusiastic advocacy of Leader Chuck Schumer and Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.”
The letter was first obtained and reported by the Albany Times Union.
In the letter, Pelosi said the actual money the Empire State would receive was already closer to $ 70 billion.
“In total, New York State 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 wellbeing of families,” she wrote.
The Pelosi message was the latest in a furious piece of letters between the state and the speaker. On Tuesday, NY House Dems sent Pelosi a letter asking for more money. This followed a previous note from Cuomo to the entire state delegation last week, demanding at least $ 15 billion in additional aid.
The state bailout will be taken from Joe Biden’s $ 1.9 trillion coronavirus relief package, now making its way through Congress.
Currently, the New York package provides $ 12.6 billion in funding for coronavirus relief; $ 10.64 billion for local governments; $ 12.3 billion for schools and $ 8.8 billion for the state’s constantly underfunded transportation system.
The state is facing a $ 63 billion shortfall in revenues that have fallen as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.