House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pushed back on New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s criticisms of the latest coronavirus relief bill.
Congress recently approved additional funding for small businesses struggling to make ends meet during the coronavirus pandemic. However, the bill did not include funding for state and local governments suffering tax revenue shortages, something that outraged Cuomo. In a Sunday interview on CNN, Pelosi said Cuomo needs to “calm down” because funding for states and municipalities will be included in the next relief package.
“Just calm down,” she said after viewing a clip of the Democrat criticizing the bill. “We will have state and local, and we will have it in a very significant way.”
She later added, “The governors are impatient. I’m a big fan of Governor Cuomo. My own governor, Gavin Newsom, has been so spectacular, my mayor, Mayor Breed. State and local have done their job magnificently. They should be impatient. Their impatience will help us get an even bigger number.”
Pelosi said the decision to not include funding for state and local governments “wasn’t a concession” to Republicans but a bipartisan decision to wait. She said the recent package was just an “interim bill.”
Cuomo has maintained that the funding is needed now. During a press conference on Thursday, he said, “They want to fund small business, fund the airlines. I understand that, but state and local government funds police and fire and teachers and schools.
“How do you not fund police and fire and teachers and schools in the midst of this crisis?” he asked.
