Schleifer: "Fund State Gov't Shortfall Proportionally to Losses"

Schleifer Warns that Schools, Hospitals, and Other Local Services Could Shutter Needlessly if the Trump Administration Fails to Act Now Through Proportionate Funding to NY

Schleifer: Rockland and Westchester Cannot Afford to Wait for Commonsense Federal Relief

White Plains, New York – Adam P. Schleifer, Democratic candidate for Congress in New York’s 17th Congressional District, demanded the Trump Administration immediately provide proportionate relief for states that hit hardest during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, he urged the Trump Administration to prioritize states like New York, which has suffered $10 billion in economic losses due to the drop in sales and other local taxes during the necessary quarantine. He pointed that school districts could be forced to lay off essential workers when students arrive back at school. Further, municipal hospitals may no longer be able to maintain adequate staffing during the public health crisis. Finally, local businesses and other government services have been left struggling to stay open.

“COVID-19 has devastated the local economies in Rockland and Westchester, as well as those throughout New York,” said Schleifer. “Schoolchildren, hospital patients, businesses, and local civil servants cannot afford to wait for the Trump Administration to act. Governor Cuomo and local leaders here in my district have fought hard to keep local and state services operational for all New Yorkers, but time and money are running out.”

“The Trump Administration must act now to clear a path for Congress to pass proportionate relief funding to state governments that have felt the greatest economic devastation in the wake of COVID-19. Washington should not force school districts to slash essential services, just because state governments are not able to carry the economic burden alone. The federal government cannot leave states like New York high and dry when people are dying, schools and hospitals are closing, and the local budget shortfalls increase by the hour.”

Schleifer supports New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s call for $500 billion in direct aid to states. Cuomo, along with the National Governors Association, stresses that existing funds cannot be used to help stabilize state budgets. New York estimates it has seen a revenue fall by $10 billion due to COVID-19. School districts in the Hudson Valley have already begun to slash funding. Already, hundreds of school bus drivers for private bus companies that provide transportation were let go this week, with districts uncertain whether they'll lose state aid because buses aren't running.

Schleifer also echoes Cuomo’s assertion that the CARES Act, while a solid first step towards necessary relief, does not do enough for New York state. The CARES Act provides New York approximately $4 billion in emergency aid, but the state is facing a $15 billion deficit. Further, New York is still waiting for money included in the $2.2 trillion CARES Act. The bill included $150 billion specifically for states, but it has not been released weeks after the first round of emergency aid was approved. As good as the CARES Act has been, Schleifer stresses that we need more.

Schleifer joined the bipartisan New York congressional delegation, which recently urged Trump to immediately grant New York State a waiver to provide 100 percent federal funding for all Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) emergency work in response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. The representatives specifically asked that any eligible work paid for through the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) be paid for by the federal government, rather the New York taxpayers, as was done by Presidents Bush and Obama after 9-11 and Superstorm Sandy.

About Adam Schleifer:

Adam Schleifer, 38, graduated from Chappaqua’s public schools in 1999 and went on to attend Cornell University and Columbia University Law School, where he served as a Senior & Staff Development Editor on the Columbia Law Review. After graduating from law school, Schleifer served two years as a federal law clerk, first in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and then in the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit.

Schleifer then built a career at one of the nation’s leading law firms before reentering public service, first as a New York State consumer-protection regulator, and then as an Assistant United States Attorney. Schleifer has prosecuted regulatory and federal-criminal actions against predatory payday and subprime auto lenders; taken dangerous and illegal weapons out of communities; prosecuted crimes of sexual violence and predation; and protected our clean air by prosecuting a conspiracy to violate the Clean Air Act. Adam Schleifer and his wife, Nicole, are residents of New Castle.

Read more about Adam Schleifer at www.AdamSchleifer.com.

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