Gov. Andrew Cuomo at May 5 press conference
May 5, 2020 By Christian Murray
Gov. Andrew Cuomo took aim at Washington today, particularly Republican leaders who are reluctant to fund state governments hard hit by the coronavirus.
Cuomo, speaking at his daily press briefing, called on federal lawmakers to put partisan politics aside and include aid for state and local governments in its next stimulus bill.
“If you starve the states how do you expect the states to be able to fund this entire reopening plan which the governors are in charge of,” Cuomo asked.
He noted that the states need the funds to pay for essential services such as police, firefighters, hospital workers and teachers. He said that without federal help it will be hard for many states to reopen.
Cuomo also took a shot at President Donald Trump, who was quoted in the New York Post saying that the states in need of funding are Democratic states and that it is the result of mismanagement.
Trump said it was not right to require Republican states to provide “bailouts.”
“It’s not fair to the Republicans because all the states that need help — they’re run by Democrats in every case,” Trump told the Post. “I don’t think the Republicans want to be in a position where they bail out states that are, that have been mismanaged over a long period of time.”
Cuomo took this argument to task, noting that New York State’s $13 billion projected deficit pales in comparison to what the state has provided the federal government with in recent years.
“We have put more money in the federal pot than what’s been given back for decades,” Cuomo said.
Since 2015, he said, the state has provided the federal government with $116 billion more than what it has received.
Cuomo said that many of the Republican leaders opposed to funding blue states represent districts that consistently take more from the federal government than what they put in.
Cuomo said that there is a need for bipartisanship to get a stimulus bill that would cover funding the states. He said the previous stimulus legislation helped hotels, airlines, small businesses and now it is time to help state and local governments.
He said that the Trump administration wants governors to be in control but they are limited if they don’t have the resources they need.
Cuomo also reviewed the current COVID-19 data pertaining to the state at the briefing.
He noted that the number of COVID-19 related hospitalizations and intubations continues to decline and that there were 230 people who died from the virus in the past 24 hours.
Cuomo said that the balancing act of reopening the economy versus the likely increase in deaths is now being debated.
“There is a cost of staying closed and a cost of reopening early,” Cuomo said.
Cuomo pointed to recently released data that shows the projected number of deaths across the nation is expected to jump significantly—now that the reopening dates of various states has been factored in.
Cuomo, citing IHME data, said that the projection is that there will be 135,000 deaths by Aug. 4. On April 17, the number was projected to be 60,308.
“The faster we open, the higher the human cost,” he said.
“That’s the hard truth we are all dealing with. Let’s be honest and be open about it,” Cuomo said. “The question comes back to: ‘How much is a human life worth?’”
Data Provided by Gov. Cuomo’s office
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2 Comments
Gov. Andrew Cuomo continues to blame Washington for all of our problems just like his political ancestors from past decades. He has an insatiable appetite for more and more federal assistance with no concern about increasing the confiscatory level of taxation to generate the revenues along with increasing long term borrowing to pay for this or how the billions of dollars are spent. He believes throwing more taxpayer dollars at problems will solve all of society’s ills.
Moving tax dollars from Washington to New York state redistributes the wealth from the haves to the have-nots. The late Sen. Daniel Patrick Moynihan decades ago documented how New Yorkers sent more money to Washington than we get back. Many of the 50 states could make the same argument. This imbalance also holds true in the distribution of state aid from Albany to the 62 counties of New York state. Within New York City, residents of Queens, Staten Island, Brooklyn, Bronx and Manhattan (or each of the fifty-nine community planning boards) don’t always get back the same amount of money sent to City Hall, Albany and Washington. Within any of our 62 counties, you could take this analysis down to every town, village and local census tract in New York state. Maybe Cuomo should practice what he preaches when spending billions in state dollars as well.
Larry Penner.
As we deal the Corona Virus Pandemic, let us not forget about the $23 trillion and growing debt epidemic. Washington has already accumulated $23 trillion in long term debt. With a $4.4 trillion budget, this debt was forecast to grow by $1 trillion annually for years to come, prior to the Corona Virus. The federal government has already provided $3 trillion in stimulus bills which will have to be paid for with more borrowed funds, increasing our national debt once again. Every level of government, private sector businesses small and large along with millions of Americans out of work are looking for financial assistance. Yes this is not enough for some. Even before the first dollars are spent, Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer want yet another $1 to $2 trillion stimulus on steroids packages.
Who is going to bail out Uncle Sam to pay for this? Government, the private sector and citizens must make difficult financial decisions on how to use existing resources. Americans prioritize their own family budgets. They make the difficult choices in how existing household financial resources will be spent. If it can wait until later, it should be postponed.
The world’s favored currency is our dollar. This could end if Washington will not control annual increases in spending and debt. If things continue the way they are, don’t be surprised if by 2030 China surpasses us, and the yen becomes the worlds favored currency.. Our reign as the #1 super power will come to an end like all empires.
Larry Penner