New York, “desperate”, requests 24,000 million dollars to avoid layoffs

New York, Dec 9 (EFE) .- The state and the city of New York have come together this Wednesday to ask the United States Congress to include an item of at least 24,000 million dollars (15,000 for the state and 9,000 for the city) in the new economic relief fund negotiated by Republicans and Democrats, which amounts to about 908,000 million dollars.
“New York is in desperate need. If the public transportation system does not receive 4.5 billion dollars this year, 9,000 workers will be laid off and subway and bus fares and tolls will increase beyond the inflation rate,” says a letter. addressed to state representatives in both legislative chambers and signed, among others, by the state governor, Andrew Cuomo, and the mayor of New York, Bill de Blasio.
The note maintains that New York, the state where the pandemic has caused the highest death toll in the country, “paid a unique price for covid. The damage suffered by New York was a direct result of the negligence of the federal government,” which, According to the signatories, it warned about the danger of travelers arriving from China, when most cases arrived from Europe.
“The (President Donald) Trump Administration banned travel from China on February 1, but did not ban European travel until March 16. At that time, more than 3 million Europeans had traveled to New York and been spreading the virus for months before our notification, “the letter states.
The letter insists that the state has not only suffered the highest number of deaths in the US, but that the economic crisis coupled with the pandemic has hit this region harder than in the rest of the country.
“Federal funds should not be distributed politically, but distributed out of necessity and harm. By any reasonable estimate, New York is the economic engine of the United States, a fact that must be recognized in any federal legislation designed to boost the national economy,” it states the writing.
The signatories insist that if “New York State does not receive a minimum of $ 15 billion in aid, or if New York City does not receive a minimum of $ 9 billion, then tax increases, layoffs will be necessary. Essentials and Major Loan Application “.
“This is not the time to impose more burdens on New York’s working families, nor is it the time to lay off essential workers just before embarking on a complicated and time-consuming vaccination program,” the note concludes, referring to the next The arrival of the first vaccines against covid-19 is expected over the weekend.

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