Delgado keeps focus on federal help for municipalities, schoools

5/27/2020

By Patsy Nicosia

Congressman Antonio Delgado kept the focus on the need for federal help to get New York State’s towns, villages, and schools through the COVID-19 fallout Thursday at what’s likely to be his last Tele-Town Hall for a while.
Every single municipality in the country, regardless of size, needs the kind of help laid out in Congress’s bipartisan Heroes Act, a $3 trillion relief package, a third of which would go to the states, Congressman Delgado said.
The bill has stalled in the United States Senate, and even if it should pass there, President Donald Trump has suggested he would veto it.
But if doesn’t need to be winner take all, Congressman Delgado said: the CARES Act, CARES 3.5 and other COVID relief legislation passed with support from both Democrats and Republicans.
“One would hope we could continue to operate in this fashion,” he said at the 10th of his COVID Telephone Town Halls.
“We’re not out of the woods. It’s important that our leaders come together on this. It doesn’t have to pass exactly the way it’s written…I’m going to keep fighting.”
The Heroes--Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions—Act, is the fifth economic stimulus package passed by the House in response to COVID.
It includes a $500 billion investment in state governments and $375 billion for local governments with that local relief split evenly with half going to cities, towns, and village, and half going to counties for Community Development Block Grants and emergency fiscal assistance.
Emergency fiscal assistance is critical locally.
Though about a dozen workers have already been brought back, in April, Schoharie County supervisors voted to temporarily lay off as many as 95 employees in an effort to help offset what’s expected to be a $4.2 million loss in local, state, and federal revenues because of COVID.
Thursday, nearby Otsego County voted to lay off nearly 60 people in an effort to help close an anticipated budget gap of at least $12.5 million.
The Heroes Act is “so important when you consider many counties and small towns are bearing the brunt on this,” Congressman Delgado said, not only from shuttered businesses, but the loss to their tax base and sales tax revenues.
“It’s imperative we do all we can to move this forward and get it to the Senate and ultimately signed by the President.”
Even as Governor Andrew Cuomo continued to press for federal assistance at his Friday briefing he said the state is kicking off its own $100 million New York Forward Loan Fund for businesses with 20 or fewer employees. (See related story.)
Congressman Delgado said it’s likely his Tele-Town Halls, held Thursday or Friday for each of the past 10 weeks, will become less regular as Congress returns to a more consistent schedule.
Thursday, callers continued to ask for help successfully navigating Small Business Administration loans and grants as well as the state unemployment system.
His office is flagging the unemployment issues for Governor Cuomo, Congressman Delgado said; call his Kingston office at (845) 443-2930 for help.