Suozzi, Rice, Curran call on Senate to act and pass desperately needed federal COVID-19 assistance for states, localities, and schools

Statement

Today, Congressman Tom Suozzi (D -- Glen Cove), Congresswoman Kathleen Rice (D -- Garden City), Nassau County Executive Laura Curran, and Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association Executive Director Lorraine Deller called on the Senate to put aside partisan politics to negotiate and pass comprehensive bipartisan legislation that will address the real problems being faced by hardworking Americans and our communities. Nearly four months ago the House passed the Heroes Act which provides desperately needed federal aid to states, counties, localities, and schools as they continue to deal with budgetary shortfalls created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

On Thursday, the Senate is expected to vote on their latest coronavirus relief proposal, a bill that, while carrying a price tag of around $500 billion, falls far short of the House-passed Heroes Act and provides no aid to state and local governments. Senate leadership is still scrambling to get support from all GOP members. Sixty votes would be needed to advance the legislation, meaning that even if all 53 Senate Republicans supported the bill, it would still be unlikely to move forward, since Senate Democrats appear united in opposition. Unfortunately, the bipartisan spirit that powered earlier relief bills has given way to election-season partisan politics which does nothing to help our struggling communities.

"Today we are sounding an alarm. The Senate's four months of inaction will crush our schools, our law enforcement, our state, and our local governments," said Rep. Tom Suozzi. "Everyday folks need help. The Senate's current proposal is laughable as it contains zero relief for state and local governments. That is a non-starter. We need to get beyond partisanship and work together to find some common ground. This is about real people's lives."

"County Executive Curran has done an incredible job responding to the COVID-19 outbreak, but it's completely outrageous that she has had to do so with such little federal support," said Rep. Kathleen Rice. "Mayors in the County have also made it very clear: without federal aid, they will be forced to cut back programs and services in education, transportation, infrastructure, and other vital areas. It is shameful that it has come to this point. The House passed the HEROES Act back in May to provide nearly $1 trillion for state and local governments, yet Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans failed to act and are still proposing no new federal aid despite the urgency of this crisis. We stand ready to negotiate when Congress returns to session next week, but I won't stand for any bill that doesn't provide Long Island and communities across the nation with the relief funding they desperately need."

"Today we stand united to call on the federal government to provide direct aid to states, counties, and localities. Refusing to fund state and local governments during a historic crisis will hurt Long Island with more job losses, businesses closing, and gutting of essential services needed more than ever. We did our part throughout this crisis. Our frontline responders made enormous sacrifices. Hear us now," said Nassau County Executive Laura Curran.

"As Long Island schools tackle the challenges of reopening in a safe, secure, and educationally sound environment this week, they are doing so under an additional burden and that is the withholding of their state aid payments. We call upon the Senate, Congress, and the State to do their part to ensure our schools can open safely and make certain we continue to maintain our quality of education and the ability for schools to be a contributor to our economic recovery as we move forward," said Lorraine Deller, Executive Director, Nassau-Suffolk School Boards Association.

"As Washington continues to consider additional COVID-19 stimulus aid, we remind federal lawmakers that without state and local fiscal relief, the economic recovery of this nation will grind to a halt. Local revenues have been decimated by the shuttering of our businesses due to the COVID-19 pandemic, meanwhile, our costs have soared as we invest in our public health departments to respond to the pandemic. Without this aid, counties are faced with making major cuts, including layoffs, and significant reductions in the precise services that people expect from us -- public and mental health, social services, road maintenance, older American care, and public safety. This is not the way to rebuild America. Washington must step up and provide unrestricted, flexible aid to state and local governments so they can continue providing essential services that are critical to defeating the virus and restoring our local economies," said NYSAC Executive Director Stephen J. Acquario.

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