The nation has endured a difficult year due to the ongoing pandemic. Many citizens lost their jobs or at least experienced a loss of income due to temporary layoffs and slashed hours.
And in response to the crunch, some state governments have opted not to hand out raises to officials this year. Many New York state employee salaries will likely remain stagnant, for example.
But not Governor Andrew Cuomo’s salary.
According to a recent report from the New York Commission on Legislative, Judicial and Executive Compensation, they won’t recommend “any compensation increases for the next four years for New York’s judges, legislators, or executive branch officials.”
The report added that the pandemic will cost the state $60.5 billion through fiscal year 2024.
And yet, Cuomo is still getting a raise.
Via Fox News:
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is set to receive a $25,000 pay raise in 2021 per legislation passed in 2019 while other New York officials’ salaries will remain stagnant year-over-year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
The Commission’s report said to expect an average unemployment rate of 11.4 percent, which would set a modern record for the state.
Ultimately, the report concluded that the state is in an “extremely precarious fiscal condition.” Hence, the stagnation of many government salaries.
However, Cuomo will get his $25k raise, boosting his salary from $225,000 to $250,000.
And according to The Daily Caller, he was already the highest-paid governor in the entire country, so some citizens might wonder why he needs another raise.[contentad widget=”427100″]
To be fair, the raise comes from legislative action implemented back in 2019, prior to the epidemic. Even so, one might think the current situation would override that legislation.
If the state is recommending a moratorium on state official salaries, many people will say that should probably include the Governor.
And Cuomo forgoing the raise wouldn’t exactly put him in the poor house.
In addition to his $225k/year salary, he just released a book this year that will undoubtedly help even more.
We’ll have to see how New Yorkers respond to this news … especially city residents hit hardest by the events of 2020.
Key Takeaways:
- A new report is recommending that New York state officials abstain from pay raises in 2021 and beyond, due to the pandemic.
- But due to legislation passed before the epidemic, Governor Andrew Cuomo will still get a $25k raise.
- Cuomo was already the highest-paid governor in America.
Source: Fox News