Gov. Cuomo threatens tax hikes without $15B in federal aid
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo warned Tuesday his state will raise taxes and reduce spending if Congress doesn’t send $15 billion in unrestricted emergency COVID-19 aid.
The Democrat presented two vastly different budget scenarios: one if Congress provides New York with $6 billion and another if New York receives $15 billion. His state is facing a dramatic loss in sales and income tax revenue in the wake of sweeping COVID-19 restrictions that jettisoned last February’s budget projections.
The governor blamed President Donald Trump’s administration for allowing COVID-19 to hit New York and the rest of the nation by failing to ban travel from Europe until mid-March. New York has now recorded nearly 42,000 deaths of people with COVID-19, according to data compiled by John Hopkins University.