Slap in the Face of New Yorkers

David Posnett — Wed, 15 Apr 2020 20:07:35 +0000

Long Island needs a leader right now, not a rubber stamp for the Trump administration’s irresponsible policies and erratic procedures. That’s not how a member of Congress should act.

Congressional District NY-01 in Suffolk County should have a representative who will demand fairness for his residents. Instead, we have Lee Zeldin, who is too busy covering for Donald Trump’s antics and failure to respond responsibly to this crisis.

Recently, Congress passed a 3rd stimulus package with support from both parties. But guess what? New York State got short-changed and Zeldin did nothing, despite two important facts:

Our state has suffered more than any other state from the pandemic with 35% of confirmed Coronavirus cases and 42% of all the deaths in the US. The Trump administration has ignored our plight and decided to allocate hospital aid based on old data, instead of basing it on the number of Coronavirus cases. This decision will bankrupt our hospitals and leave healthcare workers to do without. It is a slap in the face to our heroes on the frontlines.
New Yorkers have the highest costs of living nationally, particularly in the New York Metro region. Yet we face the same financial criteria for direct cash payments as people from other parts of the country with a much lower cost of living.

These two problems that New Yorkers are facing must be addressed in the next stimulus package. Lee Zeldin should be doing everything in his power to make sure that our state gets the relief it needs. But he won’t. Instead, he will just raise his hand and vote however the leadership in his party tells him to. That’s unacceptable. A good member of Congress should fight for his constituents.

From Perry Gershon

Federal Formula for Stimulus Aid to Hospitals Punishes New York State

David Posnett — Sat, 11 Apr 2020 22:22:35 +0000

STATEMENT FROM STATE SENATE CANDIDATE DEMOCRAT LAURA AHEARN (SD-1)

“The first 30 billion dollar distribution of federal coronavirus aid for hospitals is not being allocated based upon the incidence of COVID-19, but instead upon the number of Medicare recipients in 2019.

The use of this formula is disastrous as New York State and Long Island, the epicenter of the pandemic in the US, are slotted to receive minimal funding, far below what is desperately needed as our state and local governments attempt to manage this human catastrophe.

New York currently has 35% of the cases nationwide and is getting just 6% of the $30 million being distributed. According to Newsday, New York will receive $1.86 billion — less than the $2.9 billion for California with only 4% of the cases, $2.2 billion for Florida with only 3.6% of the cases, and $2.1 billion for Texas with only 2.2% of the cases.

State	% of all COVID cases	Billion	as % of 30 billion total aid
New York	35.0%	1.86	6.2%
California	4.0%	2.9	9.7%
Florida	3.6%	2.2	7.3%
Texas	2.2%	2.1	7.0%

I strongly urge all of our Federal Representatives to stand up and fight to ensure that any additional federal aid is geared towards communities hardest hit and in the most need, like ours. For decades, New York residents have paid more in federal taxes than what we get back in return. Now is the time for Washington DC to be there for New Yorkers.”

By Laura Ahearn

Comment by D. Posnett: New York State is being ripped off and representatives, like Congressman Zeldin, will bear responsibility if this does not change.

stimulus – R&R – Reachout and Rebuild

Slap in the Face of New Yorkers

Federal Formula for Stimulus Aid to Hospitals Punishes New York State