Children and Families marched to Gov. Hochul’s office in NYC to call for a budget that invests in their health, safety, and future.
NEW YORK, NY— As lawmakers prepared to resume negotiations on a late budget, New York families, children, and community advocates marched to Governor Hochul’s New York City office to demand that she prioritize our kids over millionaires and billionaires.
Attendees, including over 100 children of all ages, marched in support of the Invest in Our New York’s agenda for the state budget By making sure ultra-wealthy New Yorkers and highly profitable corporations pay their fair share in taxes, lawmakers can provide school districts the funds they are legally entitled to, restore and retrofit public housing, pay childcare providers a living wage, and ensure every child and family has a safe, permanent, affordable home.
“Governor Hochul is protecting the interests of millionaires and corporations while pushing to make cuts to public education and doing nothing to address the crisis facing child care educators,” said Zakiyah Shaakir-Ansari, Co-Executive Director, Alliance for Quality Education. “We’re marching today because our children and educators deserve better. They deserve a budget that invests in a more equitable New York and their ability to thrive, today and in the future. We need lawmakers to pass a budget that raises revenue to invest in our children, our families and our child care workforce. And that means we need the Senate and Assembly to hold the line and reject Hochul's cuts to schools, and stand by their proposals to make the ultra-rich pay what they owe in taxes.”
Governor Hochul is pushing to enact another budget that fails to invest in our future, proposing cuts to public education and healthcare and falling short on childcare investments while refusing to generate new public dollars to invest in our youngest New Yorkers. But the Senate and Assembly are ready to invest in our children, restoring the Governor’s proposed cuts and investing in our schools, housing, and families funded by modest tax hikes that would affect just the 0.3% of the wealthiest New York households and the 0.1% most profitable corporations doing business in our state.
Samantha Herrera, a 4th grader and member of Make the Road New York said “Today is an important day because New York State is deciding how to spend our money. It’s really big for us kids because it’s affecting our future. Our schools need more money, not cuts. We want good schools, safe homes, and childcare that families can afford. Governor Hochul wants to cut money from our schools and healthcare which doesn’t seem fair. But luckily, some of our leaders want to fix it. They want to make the rich people and big companies pay a little bit more taxes to help us out. Let’s make sure our voices are heard today. Today, we can make a brighter future for you and me. Tax the rich, we need money for our schools.”
Charlie Garrard, 8th Grader with Citizen Action of New York said “A lot of my friends had to move because their parents couldn’t find a place to live and afford. And they can’t find medical help. We need to make sure everyone is taken care of.”
Paulette Healy, Alliance for Quality Education Parent Leader said, “What the governor is doing right now is holding our city hostage. We already have the data to show that have 48% more millionaires and billionaires in 10 years, and all we are asking for is for them to pay their fair share. If I, as a City worker, and my husband, an MTA worker need to pay a a quarter of our salary to go to taxes, why shouldn’t the billionaires do that? If we just raise the taxes on our millionaires and billionaires half a percent that will generate 2 billion dollars a year. Think of the program we can fund with 2 billion dollars. It would mean more social workers; pre-k and 3-k would go on for a lifetime instead of worrying if it will be around next year. It would mean investments in community schools. We need to tax the millionaires and billionaires.”
“It’s really not too much to ask from our Governor to make sure that the richest people contribute to making New York a safe place for everyone,” said Ana Maria Archila, co-director of NY Working Families Party. “It’s not too much to ask that all of our schools are fully funded, that every family has access to housing, and the housing access voucher program is fully funded. Today we are standing in front of Governor Hochul’s office because this reality is within her reach. She has delayed the budget not to ensure we fully fund our schools, she has delayed the budget to protect the interest of the wealthiest and the real estate developers. But we know what’s right- the kids know what’s right, and we are here to remind her that it is her responsibility to use her power to ensure every New Yorker has a dignified life. The Senate and Assembly have proposed basic ideas to support New Yorkers. Now Governor Hochul needs to show she will stand with children instead of protecting the interests of the wealthiest people.”
Miss Pace, a Childcare provider and member of New York Communities for Change shared, "My staff are cleaning the front of the daycare, they are doing everything they possibly can so I don’t cut their hours. We just cannot continue to overlook our children. We need the finances. Childcare providers should get paid fair wages and what we deserve.”
State Senator Jabari Brisport, lead sponsor of the Invest in Our New York Inheritance Tax bill said, “It is time to tax the rich and return the wealth to the people. The state senate and Assembly proposed billions of extra dollars in taxes on the rich to fund what we need in New York; the governor still doesn’t want to do it. But we are going to hold the line, and we are going to push her because you all deserve nothing less than the best and we will not stop fighting until we get the New York we deserve.