Mayor De Blasio Announces Furloughs for Himself and Hundreds of Other City Officials

Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Wednesday morning that New York City issued furloughs for his office employees, including himself, amid the city's budget crisis.

The Mayor's office budget will decrease by 12 percent when de Blasio and 495 other city hall staff forgo pay beginning after October 1.

New York City is facing a $9 billion budget shortage. Without stimulus funds from the federal government or at least $5 billion from Albany, the city will face long term debt and be forced to layoff up to 22,000 city workers.

"I couldn't have imagined no action from Washington D.C. up to this point," de Blasio said. "I truly believed our colleagues in Albany would have acted on longterm bargaining."

Credit: Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office.