New York City might be forced to defund all city agencies as a result of the economic effects of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and riots if things do not go in the right direction in the next couple of weeks, Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a press briefing on Friday
NEW YORK (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th June, 2020) New York City might be forced to defund all city agencies as a result of the economic effects of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and riots if things do not go in the right direction in the next couple of weeks, Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a press briefing on Friday.
"We have had a horrible disruption this year on so many levels. We may not have a choice - we may be defunding all city agencies if things do not go right in the next few weeks," de Blasio said.
Amid nationwide unrest over the killing African American man George Floyd in police custody, de Blasio has been called on numerous occasions to reduce the city's police department budget by $1 billion.
"I do not believe it is a good idea to reduce the budget of the agency that is here to keep us safe," de Blasio said.
However, de Blasio also said he will discuss the budget issue with the New York City Council.
In April, de Blasio said due to lockdown and other restrictive measures to fight the novel coronavirus pandemic, New York City faced a $7.4 billion loss in tax revenue.
Over the past ten days, New York City has witnessed looting, vandalism and violence and protests against the killing of Floyd in police custody turned into riots.
