Never before has the majority leader in the US Senate been a representative of New York, let alone Brooklyn. Now will be. The recent elections in Georgia, which changed the balance of power in the upper house, elevated Senator Chuck Schumer to the very top of the parliamentary hierarchy. This puts the state he represents in a special position. New York can now count on the benefits of federal aid that it did not.
“It’s a shining, sunny day for our state,” Governor Cuomo responded.
It is not considered reprehensible in Washington’s political morals for a legislator to care about his home state. Of course, within reasonable limits. As for New York, it has long been in the Trump administration’s corral. Now the situation is changing dramatically. Cuomo has an excellent relationship with newly elected President Joseph Biden. And now there are excellent prospects with a change of leader in the Senate. Previously, the governor had been seeking financial assistance from Mitch McConnell for months, but he flatly refused, referring to the fact that he did not intend to participate in the “buyout of the blue states.” And while Cuomo is not as close to Sumer as he is to the new president, the state is now likely to receive substantial federal subsidies.
“I am constantly fighting for New York and always fighting,” the future Senate Majority Leader said the other day. “It’s in my blood.”
They also recovered their spirits at MTA. In December, the agency, suffering from a chronic cash deficit, received $ 4 billion in a new federal stimulus package. This amount will help to survive in 2021, but by 2024 an additional $ 8 billion will be required. Otherwise, staff and services will have to be cut.
Sumer’s new position changes matters. Now there is hope that MTA will not only cope with the current problems, but will even be able to return to the indefinitely postponed plan to carry out a fundamental reconstruction of the system, which will cost $ 54 billion.
“Sumer at the head of the upper house is a boon for thousands of New Yorkers and visitors who use public transport,” said MTA head Pat Foy.
Newspaper headline:
Chuck Sumer’s Lucky Star