De Blasio Sounds Alarm Again on NYC Budget and Possible Layoffs
De Blasio Sounds Alarm Again on NYC Budget and Possible Layoffs
(Bloomberg) --
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio sounded the alarm again on the city’s budget and hinted at first-responder layoffs as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
The city has been the epicenter of the health emergency in the U.S., with more than 190,000 coronavirus cases and at least 14,000 deaths, according to health officials.
With most businesses shut, tax revenues have plummeted accordingly. A month ago de Blasio warned that some $2 billion in municipal services could be slashed over the next year, from garbage pickups to the frequency of Staten Island Ferry services
“When I told you about that $7.5 billion, that’s revenue that’s gone that pays for cops, firefighters, teachers, sanitation workers,” de Blasio said on Fox News Channel’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”
“I’m probably going to see more and more revenue gone because our economy won’t come back without a stimulus,” he said.
De Blasio rejected a suggestion that he’s using the pandemic to cover up for years of mismanagement. “This city was moving forward,” he said.
Parts of New York’s state economy are gradually reopening after stay-at-home orders taken to slow the spread of Covid-19. New York City’s lockdown was extended last week to June 13.
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