STATEMENT: INVEST IN OUR NEW YORK (IONY) CAMPAIGN SLAMS MICHAEL BLOOMBERG’S MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Date: Tuesday, March 21, 2023 Contact: press@revenuecampaign.org

INVEST IN OUR NEW YORK (IONY) CAMPAIGN SLAMS MICHAEL BLOOMBERG’S MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR CAMPAIGN IN SUPPORT OF REGRESSIVE HOCHUL BUDGET

NEW YORK, NY— After a New York Times report highlighting billionaire Michael Bloomberg’s $5 million ad buy in support of Governor Kathy Hochul and her regressive, billionaire-friendly budget agenda, Jasmine Gripper, Executive Director of Alliance for Quality Education (AQE) and spokesperson for the Invest in Our NY Campaign, released the following statement:

“It’s not surprising that a vainglorious billionaire is throwing millions of dollars around to stop legislators from making him pay a little more in taxes. This is simply more of the pay-to-play politics that have plagued New York—and enough is enough.

“As Mayor, Michael Bloomberg actively chose to ignore parents and closed hundreds of public schools while funneling public dollars to fuel the massive expansion of charter schools in New York City. Michael Bloomberg doesn’t care about our children and our communities—and now it’s clear he wants to use his wealth to buy influence in Albany. What’s worse, Governor Kathy Hochul is ignorantly carrying the demands of her billionaire donors instead of making policy based on facts and needs. We need Hochul to stop listening to the wealthy and 1% and start listening to parents and working class New Yorkers. We don’t need a state budget that forces more charter schools or tuition hikes at SUNY and CUNY. We don’t want MTA subway fares increased, or a payroll tax that comes out of workers’ paychecks. “This is what corruption looks like—and New York deserves better than Governor Hochul choosing to be a puppet for Bloomberg's ideas and whims. The New York State Legislature must stand up to the Governor and her billionaire supporters and pass a budget that prioritizes working-class people.”

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About Invest in Our New York Invest in Our New York (IONY) is a state-wide coalition fighting to rebuild the state’s economy by ending tax breaks for the wealthy. After achieving a series of revenue-raising victories in 2021, IONY is calling on the Governor and State Legislature to invest the budget surplus and a portion of FY2023 economic development spending towards early childhood education, universal childcare, higher education, social housing, and climate justice programs as a common-sense approach to driving economic growth and building broader prosperity in New York.