Getty New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo quoted his late father’s famous speech during a live coronavirus press conference.
During Wednesday’s coronavirus press briefing, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo shared a quote from his late father’s famous 1984 Democratic National Convention speech.
“We believe in a single fundamental idea that describes better than most textbooks and any speech that I could write what a proper government should be: the idea of family, mutuality, the sharing of benefits and burdens for the good of all, feeling one another’s pain, sharing one another’s blessings — reasonably, honestly, fairly, without respect to race, or sex, or geography, or political affiliation.”
Mario Cuomo, the former governor of New York, died in 2015. During his time in office, he delivered a legendary speech where he criticized then-President Ronald Reagan for disregarding lower and middle-class Americans.
“We must make the American people hear our ‘Tale of Two Cities,'” the then-governor said. “We must convince them that we don’t have to settle for two cities, that we can have one city, indivisible, shining for all of its people.”
Cuomo Slams The Senate’s $2 Trillion Stimulus Bill
Andrew Cuomo has appeared on television nearly every day since the coronavirus swept New York, with the number of confirmed cases eclipsing 25,000 and 210 deaths being confirmed, according to CNN.
On Wednesday, he slammed the senate’s $2 trillion stimulus bill. He said it would be “terrible” for New York.
“The Senate is also considering a $2 trillion bill which is, quote-on-quote, relief for businesses, individuals and governments. It would really be terrible for the state of New York,” Cuomo said.
“The $2 trillion bill, what does it mean for New York state government, it means $3.8 billion. $3.8 billion sounds like a lot of money… but we’re looking at a shortfall, revenue shortfall of 9, 10, 15 billion dollars,” the governor continued. “Response to this virus has probably already cost us $1 billion, it will probably cost us several billion dollars when we’re done.”
He said the relief money wouldn’t be enough, and told his constituents that he confronted lawmakers. “I spoke to our House delegation, congressional delegation, this morning, I said to them, ‘This doesn’t do it,’” he said. “I understand the Senate theory and the republican theory, but we need the house to make adjustments. In the House bill that went over, New York State got $17 billion. In the Senate bill, we get $3.8 billion.”
Cuomo emphasized his state was being “efficient” and “frugal,” but, ultimately, “I’m telling you, these numbers don’t work.”
The New York Governor Says COVID-19 Is Accelerating Like a ‘Bullet Train’
In a Tuesday press conference, New York Gov. Cuomo said the coronavirus is accelerating in the state like a “bullet train.”
“We’re not slowing it, and it is accelerating on its own,” Cuomo said. “The [disease] forecaster said to me, ‘We were looking at a freight train coming across the country.’ We’re now looking at a bullet train.”
New York will reportedly need 140,000 hospital beds for COVID-19 patients in two to three weeks. “New York is the canary in the coal mine. New York is going first. We have the highest and fastest rate of infection,” the governor said.
One of the most important things the state needs are ventilators. The state currently has up to 4,000 ventilators and has 7,000 more coming, but Cuomo said New York needs at least 30,000 additional ventilators.
READ NEXT: Cuomo Brothers Display Sibling Rivalry on CNN Coronavirus Interview