"As the Governor said today, the state of the state is one of crisis - of compounding crises. The federal government, as the Governor repeated again and again, has failed New York amid the pandemic - but to imply that the federal government bears total responsibility for New York's problems is both inaccurate and damaging, as it will also not bear total responsibility for the solutions. A just recovery with forward movement from this moment requires bold progressive policies from all levels of government, and there is a great deal the state can and must accomplish on behalf of New Yorkers. Chief among them must be revenue raising, which the Governor was happy to champion on a federal level but continues to resist in the state he leads.
"Too often, the third-term Governor of New York speaks about issues as if they are new, or at least new to him. The acknowledgement of issues without some admission of culpability is ego at the expense of advancement. Today we heard promises of progress in areas like public safety and marijuana justice, but we have heard similar points in years past without significant progression, and that must change. If the Governor means to follow through on a bold agenda this year, I stand ready to work with him, but I will always stand with New Yorkers in need to hold him accountable and push him to action if he delays or diminishes that agenda. New Yorkers are strong, even in the face of a pandemic that saw our state at its epicenter, but we are also suffering, and the state must act quickly and equitably to provide relief."