Statement from Assembly Minority Leader Will Barclay on New York Losing a Congressional Seat
“The Census numbers released today confirm New York’s state of decline that we’ve witnessed for a decade. Losing a Congressional seat diminishes our level of representation in the halls of Congress and is the result of ongoing population loss driven by misguided policies and priorities.
As 1.5 million New Yorkers fled to greener pastures in the past decade, Majority members have continued to maintain a head-in-the-sand mentality to the issues driving people away. It costs too much to live here. Our taxes are among the nation’s highest. Red tape and costly regulations are stifling small businesses and preventing job growth.
At the beginning of the year I asked my colleagues, ‘When 1.5 million people leave New York in 10 years, does that mean we’re doing something right or doing something wrong?’ Majority politicians have refused to answer with any meaningful action that might trigger a course correction.
Albany’s One-Party-Rule is content to watch the exodus from New York take place as they tax and spend at record levels. With this unsustainable approach, today’s unfortunate news from the Census will continue to be a recurring theme.”