New York’s Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo said during a phone call that President Donald Trump’s executive orders addressing the economic pain caused by the COVID-19 pandemic were “laughable.”
CNN aired the phone call on Sunday.
"Laughable." That is how NY Governor Andrew Cuomo terms Trump's executive order asking states to pay 25% of unemployment benefit. Says it will cost NY $4 billion dollars. "Impossible," he says.
— Gabriel Elizondo (@elizondogabriel) August 9, 2020
Cuomo on Trump’s executive orders: ‘The concept of saying to states, you pay 25% of the unemployment insurance is just laughable’
Host Dana Bash said, “The New York governor is slamming the president’s executive actions calling them laughable.”
“In a call, today, updating the state’s battle with the pandemic, the Democratic governor of New York Andrew Cuomo questioned the legality of the president’s moves criticizing the directives to force states to pay for more unemployment and not providing any funding for schools to reopen,” Bash observed.
Cuomo said during the call, “The concept of saying to states, you pay 25% of the unemployment insurance is just laughable.”
“The whole issue here was getting states funding, state, and local funding. You can’t now say to states, who have no funding, and you have to pay 25% of the unemployment insurance costs. I mean, it’s just —there’s no funding for schools that are now trying to reopen, and according to the White House, they want them to reopen,” Cuomo added.
“So they need legislation,” the governor finished. “It is the only way to do it.”
Democrats repeat our call to Republicans to return to the table, meet us halfway and work together to deliver immediate relief to the American people.
Read my full statement with @SenSchumer: https://t.co/SnYbvFwcZp
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 8, 2020
Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton also went after President Trump over executive orders
On Saturday, Democratic House Speaker Nancy Pelosi also slammed Trump’s executive orders.
“Today’s meager announcements by the president show President Trump still does not comprehend the seriousness or the urgency of the health and economic crises facing working families,” Pelosi said standing alongside Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer.
RELATED: Pelosi Slams Trump’s Executive Order Designed To Help Americans Through Economic Struggles
“We’re disappointed that instead of putting in the work to solve Americans’ problems, the President instead chose to stay on his luxury golf course to announce unworkable, weak and narrow policy announcements to slash the unemployment benefits that millions desperately need and endanger seniors’ Social Security and Medicare…” Pelosi added.
Hillary Clinton also blasted President Trump’s executive orders, dismissing them on Sunday as a mere “stunt.”
Top story: @MSNBC: 'Hillary Clinton calls President Trump's exec. orders a "stunt" and "diversion," saying "he signaled that he's going after Social Security and Medicare … he was talking about ending financial contribu… pic.twitter.com/wM8WvlOCGe, see more https://t.co/0BGIEJlBeI
— Pauline Tremblay (@paulinetrembla) August 9, 2020