TRUMP ‘PASSING BUCK’ ON PANDEMIC RESPONSE: CUOMO

NEW YORK New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Friday he needed federal government help to ramp up testing for the novel coronavirus and reopen his state’s economy, and accused President Donald Trump’s administration of failing to provide funding to states.

“Is there any funding so I can do these things that you want us to do? ‘No,’” Cuomo told a daily briefing on the coronavirus. “That is passing the buck without passing the bucks.”

The broadside came one day after Trump outlined guidelines for a phased reopening of the devastated economy in the U.S. Cuomo said New York, the epicentre of the country’s crisis, would need federal funding to ramp up testing and fill a $14 billion-$21 billion budget shortfall that is hampering the state’s ability to fund such efforts.

“The federal government has passed three bills to address this crisis. Of those three bills the state governments have gotten precisely zero, zilch, nada in unrestricted aid,” Cuomo said.

On Thursday, Cuomo extended the closure of businesses and schools in his state until at least May 15.