NY-24: Balter: Congress' failure on COVID relief not a 'both sides' problem
Our communities are suffering because of the COVID-19 pandemic and we desperately need federal government relief that isn’t coming. Contrary to what Congressman John Katko would have us believe, this is not a “both sides issue.” It is John Katko and his Republican colleagues in the House and Senate who are standing in the way.
County and municipal governments are facing enormous budget shortfalls because of the pandemic. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon has warned that county government will need to make deep cuts and the city of Syracuse, facing a $25 million budget hole, is exploring all options to make up the deficit. This is why the Democrats in the House of Representatives included more than a trillion dollars in state and local government funding in the HEROES Act, which they passed in May. John Katko voted against it.
The HEROES Act has a lot of things we need here in central and western New York. It would extend the federal $600 unemployment benefits through January 2021 and provide another round of $1,200 direct relief payments to individuals. It would deliver almost $1 billion dollars in pandemic relief funding for county and local governments in New York’s 24th district, provide hazard pay for frontline workers, and dispense homeowners’ and renters’ assistance to keep people from losing their homes. The HEROES Act also includes student loan debt forgiveness; funding for coronavirus testing, tracing and treatment; assistance to the U.S. Postal Service; and funding for election security.
Over the next two years, the HEROES Act would provide $360 million for the city of Syracuse and $9 million for the city of Oswego. At the county level, Onondaga is set to receive $260 million, Oswego $66 million, Cayuga $43 million, and Wayne $50 million.
https://www.oswegocountynewsnow.com/columnists/balter-congress-failure-on-covid-relief-not-a-both-sides-problem/article_725d40ba-e243-11ea-bdf7-abcf137c6436.html
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