NYC Mayor To Federal Government: 'We Need A New Stimulus'

NEW YORK CITY — Mayor Bill de Blasio has a clear message for the federal government: "We need a new stimulus quickly."

De Blasio is pleading Congress to pass a new stimulus package, saying federal relief is the only way New York City can close a $3.8 billion budget gap in the coming months.

The city must close that gap by January, when officials present the preliminary budget for the 2022 fiscal year, de Blasio said. The city's fiscal 2021 budget is balanced at $92 billion.

From April to September, New Yorkers received $40 billion worth of federal aid, including stimulus checks, unemployment benefits and loans to small businesses.

But de Blasio warned Monday that those benefits are running out.

“Today’s figures make one thing clear: Federal stimulus works, and New York City needs another, immediately,” de Blasio said in a prepared statement. “From ramping up testing to investing in safe schools to feeding everyone in need, our priorities are clear: public health will drive our recovery. The federal government must do its part and pass a stimulus package that ensures our recovery can continue full speed ahead."

As of October, New York City had recovered a third of the 900,000 jobs lost in March and April, according to data released Monday by the city.

Private sector job growth is now slowing: The private sector added 100,000 jobs in June but only 15,000 in October.

The unemployment rate stood at 13.2 percent last month, down from a staggering 20.3 percent in June.

De Blasio referred to the economic progress as an "amazing beginning" but noted that the city's fiscal 2021 budget relied on federal COVID-19 relief and U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency grants.

That $3.2 billion in federal funding has supported New York City's contact tracing team and paid for life-saving medical equipment, protective gear and millions of meals.

“If we could get more federal support, it would be transcendent," de Blasio said.