New Yorkers Rally Against the Devastatingly High Cost of Living and the Republican Policies That Are Causing It!
Thanks to Republican Tariffs, Medicaid and SNAP Cuts, and Expiring Healthcare Tax Credits, New Yorkers are Paying More Than Ever Before Just to Get By!
STATEN ISLAND, NEW YORK — Today, Empire State Voices, Metro NY Health Care for All, Citizen Action of New York, 1199 SEIU, and Patriotic Millionaires gathered outside Staten Island Borough Hall for a lively rally and press conference spotlighting the devastatingly high cost of living New Yorkers are suffering under. Standing side by side with their friends and neighbors, speakers shared their stories about how the policies enacted by the Republican-led Congress have negatively impacted their lives. The attendees demanded that Rep. Malliotakis, Rep. Mike Lawler, and other Republicans in Congress stop playing political games and get to work lowering health care and other costs for constituents like them.
Over the past year, Republican lawmakers in Washington have enacted and supported a slew of harmful policies that have raised costs on working families while undermining the very programs and services they rely on to get by. From the Republican tariffs, to Medicaid and SNAP cuts, to the expiring health care tax credits, nearly every action taken by New York Representatives Nicole Malliotakis, Mike Lawler, and their Republican colleagues in Congress have made life more expensive for everyday New Yorkers.
Local residents gathered outside Staten Island Borough Hall for a rally and press conference spotlighting the devastatingly high cost of living New Yorkers are suffering under. | CREDIT: Empire State Voices
“Nicole Malliotakis’ constituents, myself included, have been pleading with her this entire year to protect our community,” said Colin Hall, a social studies teacher from Great Kills. “She has had every opportunity to put working people first and has instead decided to defund healthcare, defund services for people with disabilities, rob Title 1 schools, and take housing away from women escaping domestic violence. And now, once again, she is showing she would rather keep the government closed than salvage affordable care.”
“Because of the tariffs, I’ve noticed higher prices on everything,” said Marie Therency, a resident of West New Brighton. “The 99-cent store is no longer 99 cents, it’s more like $2.19 after tax, and that’s saying a lot. I’ve had to apply for services, but those services are being reduced, and the process of accessing them is getting even more difficult. I’ve been very much affected by it, and that’s why I’m here to protest against what’s been happening.”
Republican lawmakers have enacted and supported a slew of harmful policies that have raised costs on working families while undermining the very programs and services they rely on. | CREDIT: Empire State Voices
“So many Americans are seeing the rich get further and further ahead, while they are struggling to get by. The Republican Tax Law, which Representative Malliotakis voted for, is designed to make that worse,” said Morris Pearl, Chair of the Patriotic Millionaires and former Managing Director at BlackRock. “It raises taxes on New Yorkers who are in need, including thousands here on Staten Island. And it lowers taxes on rich investors like me, who are getting richer and richer in part because we have much lower tax rates than people who work for a living. This is bad for all of us.”
“Rather than fighting on behalf of New York families, New York Reps. Nicole Malliotakis, Congressman Mike Lawler, and other Republicans in Congress have spent nearly the entire year working to raise costs on working people, from cutting healthcare and food assistance programs to raising the price of nearly everything New Yorkers buy,” said Zachary Tirgan, Multi-Regional Organizing Director for Empire State Voices. “It’s well past time that Rep. Malliotakis and Rep. Lawler stop bowing to special interests and party leadership and start actually fighting for the hardworking New Yorkers they swore an oath to represent. Reps. Malliotakis and Lawler, reverse these devastating cuts, lower costs for working New Yorkers, and end this harmful government shutdown now!”
The Republican Tax Law, which Representative Malliotakis voted for, is designed to make [our economic inequality] worse.” -Morris Pearl, Patriotic Millionaires | CREDIT: Empire State Voices
To learn more about Empire State Voices, please reach out to press@empirestatevoices.org
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About Empire State Voices
Empire State Voices (ESV) is a multi-year campaign dedicated to amplifying the voices of everyday working New Yorkers. ESV is fighting for economic policies that make life more affordable for constituents and holding members of Congress across the state accountable when they fail to do the same.
