CNA Staff, Sep 3, 2020 / 13:00 pm
The bishops of New York have spoken out against proposed cuts in the New York State budget, urging Gov. Andrew Cuomo not to add further burdens to the state's poor and vulnerable in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
"As the governor considers the steps needed to restore our state to fiscal stability, the New York State bishops offer prayers for wisdom, as well as a reminder that the state must never balance its budget on the backs of the poor and vulnerable," said a statement from the New York Catholic Conference released on Thursday, September 3.
Reports suggest the state is considering cutting 20% of budgets across every department in the state to make up for its budget shortfall.
While these cuts are "understandable," and appears on their face to be giving equal treatment to all departments, the bishops stated, "we must keep in mind that for the hundreds of thousands of vulnerable New Yorkers who depend on state-funded not-for-profit human services providers, social equity already eludes them, and always has."