New Yorkers To Leaders: Don't Cut Medicaid, Tax The Rich!

Governor Cuomo, Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Heastie

The COVID-19 crisis and New York's staggering inequality leaves the most vulnerable communities in unfathomable conditions. We need the Governor, the State Senate, and the Assembly to change course on the budget and commit to NO MEDICAID CUTS and to RAISE REVENUE BY TAXING THE RICH. We’re all in this together. And we all need BUDGET JUSTICE!

To: Governor Cuomo, Leader Stewart-Cousins, and Speaker Heastie
From: [Your Name]

New York State is on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. We will experience significant costs and at the same time our major sources of revenue will decline enormously due to social distancing and quarantine measures. Simply put: austerity budgets have left our communities exposed in a moment of need.

Even prior to COVID-19, our state was facing a crisis of inequality which has now been further exacerbated by the effects of the pandemic. So it couldn't be more clear: New York can not fight off the COVID-19 pandemic and provide the necessary safety net for our communities without more revenue to fully fund the needs of our communities.

It is therefore unacceptable that in this moment, you, our elected leaders would be considering billions of dollars in cuts to Medicaid and tabling billions in dollars of new revenue in the upcoming state budget. I urge you to chart a new course:

- No cuts to Medicaid. The proposed cuts would impact those in our state that need the coverage the most and our municipalities and localities can not shoulder a greater burden. Nor are these cuts necessary. We must raise new revenue and accept the Federal aid that was granted in the Stimulus Package #1.

- Tax the Rich. While many hardworking families are struggling today, billionaires and ultra-millionaires are doing just fine. Asking them to pay a little more in taxes to prevent devastating cuts to healthcare and our other needs is fair. I urge you to support:

(1) A billionaire wealth tax on fortunes over a billion dollars

(2) An ultramillionaires income tax on income over five million dollars a year

(3) A pied-á-terre tax on tax on luxury homes and apartments worth over $5 million that are not a family’s primary residence

(4) A transfer tax on stock buybacks by huge corporations

(5) Other fair-share revenue proposals that target only the ultra-rich.

We will do long-term damage to New York's economy if we cut back on education, housing, infrastructure, healthcare, and other important investments in the future in this moment. And we will fail the most vulnerable if we do not act swiftly.

We need bold leadership. We need Budget Justice.

Signed,