De Blasio says Trump needs 'to speak up' to Senate to get states and cities stimulus money

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De Blasio: Federal government needs to reimburse New York City for lost revenue

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio joins ‘Sunday Morning Futures.’

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New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio thanked President Trump on Sunday for the help the federal government has given the country’s largest city during the coronavirus pandemic, but said the president needs to be more vocal in helping cities and states recover from the economic fallout tied to the public health crisis.

“I’ve given President Trump credit when he helps New York City and sometimes he and his team have done a great job at that,” de Blasio said during an interview on “Sunday Morning Futures.” “Where I have been in disagreement with him is where he has still not spoken up on the stimulus to help cities and states.”

De Blasio added: “He needs to speak up with energy to move the Senate. He understands the economy. He understands New York City. If we can't pay for basic services, we won't have a strong economy. We need to hear the president's voice — we're not hearing it so far."

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There is a current battle going on in Congress now as lawmakers try to hash out what will be included in the next economic stimulus package.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., insisted Friday that Congress’ next package provide billions for financially reeling state and local governments, putting her in direct conflict with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who has expressed opposition to providing more local help, at least for now.

Trump has been a wild card, making comments that have wavered between support and skepticism. In addition, some GOP senators and governors have called for more aid for state and local governments.

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The roughly $2 trillion stimulus bill enacted last month included $150 billion for state and local governments.

But in a follow-up bill that Trump signed Friday providing roughly $480 billion more for small businesses and hospitals, Republicans blocked all of the additional $150 billion that Democrats wanted for state and local governments.

McConnell has expressed strong opposition to providing more money for those governments. On Fox News this week, he cited concerns about the mushrooming national debt and opposition to helping states resolve pension and other problems.

"We’re not going to let them take advantage of this pandemic to let them solve problems they created for themselves,” McConnell said.

McConnell also suggested that states be allowed to declare bankruptcy, which is not currently permitted. His suggestion has drawn criticism from members of both parties because it would jeopardize popular state services and cause their future borrowing costs to soar.

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Retiring Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., tweeted this week that McConnell's suggestion "makes McConnell the Marie Antoinette of the Senate.”

But as administration and congressional bargainers reached a compromise Tuesday on the latest rescue legislation, Trump tweeted about beginning talks over the next round of help. The first item he listed was “fiscal relief to State/Local Governments for lost revenues from COVID 19.”

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By Thursday, his message was more mixed.

He told reporters at the White House that “we're always going to help states," but added, “The states that seem to have the problem happen to be Democrat." He added that New York and New Jersey “were in a lot of trouble long before the plague came."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.