Counties plead for federal help
Pandemic aid is long overdue — and it’s essential to vaccine deployment, leaders say
With localities anticipating they will be on the forefront of vaccine distribution, county executives in New York on Wednesday urged federal lawmakers to “put up or shut up.”
For months, county leaders from both sides of the aisle have been asking that the next federal stimulus bill include aid to local and state governments, but lawmakers in Washington, D.C., have butted heads on including fiscal relief for governments along with other aspects of the latest stimulus package.
“If there is any time for Congress to roll up their sleeves, it’s now,” said Ulster County Executive Patrick Ryan during a Zoom call hosted by the New York Association of Counties. “My message is simple: Put up or shut up. That is the moment that we are at. We’ve all been on these calls multiple times. I’m sick of it and our residents are sick of it.”
The latest package pitched by Congress is a $908 billion proposal that allocates $160 billion to state and local governments and additional aid for businesses and other sectors, but does not include another round of stimulus checks to Americans. Meanwhile, President Donald J. Trump’s administration announced a $916 billion package late Tuesday, which includes aid to local governments and businesses as well as direct payments to Americans.
Local government leaders say they have taken the brunt of the fiscal impact of the pandemic, with COVID -19 responses draining their coffers as sales taxes and other revenue streams are drying up amid businesses shuttering. Plus, county governments have been on the front lines from the beginning — conducting contact tracing and testing, as well as enforcing COVID -19 restrictions — and they expect to be leading the charge for vaccine distribution, they said.
“Quite simply, it would be unconscionable for the federal government not to deliver aid to state and local governments that are on the front lines,” Suffolk County Executive Steve Malone said. “It would be unconscionable in my view to essentially say that we are going to put the brunt of this cost of this response, this national emergency ... on local taxpayers.”
County executives from across the state — Republicans and Democrats — emphasized during the call Wednesday that federal relief is not a partisan issue and implored federal legislators to act before year’s end.
Albany County Executive Daniel P. Mccoy said federal lawmakers need to help localities move forward.
“The only way we can do it all is working in a partnership together,” he said.
Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo, who has delayed making deep cuts to the state budget in hopes of a federal package, on Wednesday released a letter he penned with New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, legislative leaders and labor organizers urging New York’s federal delegates to ensure the stimulus package provides funds to localities proportionate to the pandemic’s impact on them.
“Federal funds should not be distributed politically but rather distributed by need and damage,” the letter reads. “By any fair estimate, New York is the economic engine of the United States, a fact that should be recognized in any federal legislation intended to jumpstart the national economy, and no state was damaged to the extent that the federal government damaged New York.”
The letter warns federal lawmakers that if the state does not receive a minimum of $15 billion in aid, or if New York City does not receive $9 billion, tax increases, layoffs of essential workers and significant borrowing will occur.
The Metropolitan Transit Authority also needs $4.5 billion this year in order to avoid thousands of layoffs and increased tolls and fares.
Erie County Executive Mark C. Poloncarz, who also serves as the Northeast regional representative for the National Association of Counties, said the $160 billion allotted in Congress’ proposal would be split between state and local governments and would be intended to help tide governments over for the next few months.
“This has been discussed as a four-month deal. If it’s for four months, we’d be OK,” he said. “It would at least help us get through this winter and early spring period, but it would not be sufficient enough for delivering vaccines.”