Assemblyman John McGowan (R,C-Rockland) attended a press conference today hosted by Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) to call for greater transparency regarding the taxpayer-funded humanitarian assistance for the ongoing migrant crisis in New York City. The 2023-24 State Budget allocated an additional $1 billion to help mitigate the crisis, however, it lacks oversight or direction as to how those taxpayer dollars will be spent. In total, $4.3 billion has been spent on migrants and recently, the no-bid contractor from New York City, DocGo, which was overseeing their relocation, is facing serious allegations about the poor conditions and care of migrants in hotels.

The elected officials are calling on the governor to report each month how the funds will be used and request the state comptroller to audit how those funds for humanitarian aid for migrants are being spent.

“New Yorkers deserve transparency in government spending. They deserve to know how and where their tax dollars are used and that they are being spent efficiently. Their money is not a checking account with endless funds. Until the state does a thorough investigation, not a single dollar should be spent to ensure this money is not being abused,” said McGowan.