Your guide to NYC's public proceedings.
Q&A
Commissioner's response to advocacy efforts and budget gap creation
4:07:02
ยท
109 sec
Commissioner Dannhauser responds to Council Member Restler's questions about advocacy efforts and budget gap creation for the childcare voucher program. The commissioner attempts to defend the administration's actions while acknowledging the challenges.
- Commissioner mentions direct phone calls and meetings between city officials and the Governor's Office
- States that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has supported creating a budget gap to continue services
- Emphasizes that the state has been supportive of growing childcare
- Acknowledges the passion and concern expressed by Council Member Restler
Jess Dannhauser
4:07:02
I'd be happy to to get you that.
4:07:04
I know of direct phone calls, I know of direct meetings between the First Deputy Mayor, the Deputy Mayor, the Governor's Office.
4:07:11
This has been a priority.
4:07:13
The OMB has supported us in creating a budget gap so that we can continue this service while we work with the state.
4:07:22
The state has been very supportive of us growing childcare.
4:07:26
We are trying to direct dial, be very clear about the implications.
4:07:29
I share your passion.
4:07:30
I appreciate how much you care for childcare
Daniel Guillen
4:07:33
and making sure that
Jess Dannhauser
4:07:34
families have
Daniel Guillen
4:07:33
I'm just not
Jess Dannhauser
4:07:34
we are
Lincoln Restler
4:07:34
barreling toward a reality of 60,000 kids losing their child care vouchers.
4:07:38
That is where we are heading.
4:07:40
There has been no advocacy of substance beyond ACS talking to a handful of people about this issue.
4:07:45
It was not in the senate one house because nobody had talked to the senate about it and when they did, wasn't raised as a priority.
4:07:51
The assembly only put $200,000,000 into this at the very last second, and if it wasn't for the leadership of chair Stevens, the speaker of the state assembly wouldn't have known about this issue.
4:07:59
So I just want to be clear.
4:08:01
No one is doing anything of consequence from city hall and OMB to advocate for this issue.
4:08:06
We are trying our best, but we found out about it in the last two weeks.
4:08:09
You all reached out to providers in February but didn't reach out to the breadth of elected officials whose families are going to be impacted.
4:08:18
Catastrophe.
4:08:18
We are days away from it.
4:08:20
We are not if we do not get $900,000,000, 60 thousand families are going to lose their child care vouchers and it is going to have a bigger impact on negative impact on child care than anything I can remember in a very long time.
4:08:33
And all of the phenomenal work that has happened by you and your team is going to disappear.
4:08:37
It's going go up in smoke.
4:08:38
And I appreciate that your all's job is to execute with the resources you're given, to implement the policy directives that you receive.
4:08:45
It is not your job to find $900,900,000,000 in the state budget.
4:08:49
It is the mayor's job and he has failed.