New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Wednesday blasted Capitol Hill Republicans for “abusing” the mostly Democratic-run states that have been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis, saying they already don’t get their fair share of federal spending.
“Stop abusing the states who bore the brunt of the COVID virus, through no fault of their own,” said Mr. Cuomo, a Democrat, said in Washington after meeting with President Trump.
He said hard-hit states such as New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Illinois, Michigan and Pennsylvania already put more tax money in the “federal pot” than they take out.
The states that pocket the most federal dollars, he said, were Virginia, Maryland, Kentucky, Alabama and Florida.
The governor pressed Republicans to drop their opposition to more spending to bail out state and local government suffering a severe budget crunch due to lost tax revenue during the coronavirus shutdowns.
“The federal government has a role to play, and the federal government has to do its part as we work our way through this crisis,” he said. “Pass a piece of legislation that is honorable and decent and does the right thing for all Americans. Why is that so hard?”
House Democrats passed a new $3 trillion coronavirus rescue package that included more than $500 billion for state and local governments. But it was dead on arrival in the Republican-run Senate.
Mr. Trump and GOP leaders want to wait to see the impact of the nearly $3 trillion in coronavirus spending that has already been approved.
Republican lawmakers also charge that the Democrat-run state that already faced budget shortfalls would use the virus as an excuse for a federal bailout.
“Today, Governor Cuomo came to D.C. to beg for a bailout from Florida taxpayers and 48 other states,” fumed Sen. Rick Scott, Florida Republican. “The federal government has already provided more than $1 trillion in funding and loans to states and local governments to reimburse them for costs associated with the pandemic. This is a fact.”
Mr. Scott said Congress would do what is necessary to pull the U.S. through the public health emergency.
“What we won’t do, as long as I am a member of the U.S. Senate, is use a health crisis and taxpayer money to bail out poorly-run states like Governor Cuomo’s New York,” he said.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
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