There was push back from Governor Andrew Cuomo against President Donald Trump over when and how to reopen the nation’s virus-stalled economy.
“This is no time for politics, and it is no time to fight,” Cuomo said Tuesday.
President Trump said he has “total” authority to reopen New York State and the rest of the nation. The president’s comments came hours after governors on both coasts announced multi-state compacts to coordinate reopening society amid a global pandemic.
The president took a direct shot at Cuomo Tuesday morning on social media, tweeting: “Cuomo’s been calling daily, even hourly, begging for everything, most of which should have been the state’s responsibility, such as new hospitals, beds, ventilators, etc. I got it all done for him, and everyone else, and now he seems to want independence! That won’t happen!”
Cuomo said the United States doesn't have a king, but a President and a Constitution. Still, he vowed he will not fight the President. “The president is clearly spoiling for a fight on this issue. The worst thing we can do in all of this is start with political division and start with partisanship,” Cuomo said. “I put my hand out in total partnership and cooperation with the President. If he wants a fight, he’s not going to get it from me,” he added.
Legal experts, citing the Tenth Amendment of the Constitution, have consistently said a President and the federal government don’t have the power to remove lock downs and reopen states.
