Cuomo Details COVID ‘War,’ Recovery Plans In State Of The State

NEW YORK CITY — A sprawling, coronavirus-heavy State of the State address by Gov. Andrew Cuomo unfolded against the figurative and literal backdrop of war.

Cuomo gave his annual address Monday from the state capitol’s “War Room” — a chamber emblazoned with murals depicting the wars fought by New Yorkers from the Revolution to WWI. The ongoing fight against COVID-19 is the latest war facing the Empire State, he said.

And the gravitational pull from the fight brought the state and nation to a low tide that exposed ugly undercurrents — racial divisions, religious tensions, government incompetence, social injustice and the danger of hateful leadership, he said.

“The question to be answered is what will we make of this moment?” he said. “Is it positive or is it negative? Do we move forward or do we move backward? Is America, is New York stronger or weaker in the post-COVID world?”

Cuomo made the case that New York must seize an opportunity to reshape the state for the better, even in the face of a difficult fight.

The virtual address will be the first of four speeches Cuomo plans this week. He said he’ll cover specific actions in three future speeches, but outlined a seven-part plan for 2021:

1. Defeating COVID
2. Vaccinating New York
3. Managing the short-term economic crisis
4. Investing in the future
5. Transitioning to green energy
6. Understanding the long-term effects of COVID
7. Addressing systemic injustice

“All of these plans must move forward simultaneously,” he said. “It will be hard. It will be the greatest test for government since we mobilized to fight World War II. It will be the greatest opportunity for advancement since post-World War II.”

Much of Cuomo’s speech touched on issues that directly affect New York City. He lambasted the federal government for funding measures that threatened to sink the state under a $15 billion deficit.

He harkened to the 1970s famous headline “Ford To City: Drop Dead” about a bailout for a then-struggling New York City.

“In recent years, Washington not only told us to drop dead, they dug a grave and tried to push us in,” he said.

The federal government needs to finance the fight against COVID-19 in the city and state by way of raising taxes on the wealthiest Americans, Cuomo said. He said the state also will help raise revenue by legalizing recreational marijuana and mobile sports betting, but emphasized that those measures — and others — will only fill a fraction of a $15 billion hole.

Cuomo singled out New York City for a rise in crime amid the pandemic. He said shootings in 2020 doubled in the city, with Black and Latino city dwellers accounting for 94 percent of victims.

“There can no economic revival without effective public safety,” he said. “This is especially true for our cities — if the attractions of a city are reduced and crime is increased, urban decline is inevitable.”

Cuomo pressed cities across the state to pass legislation detailing new public safety plans after the protests over police brutality following the killing of George Floyd.

He congratulated cities across the state that have done so, from Syracuse to Schenectady, but pointedly didn’t mention New York City, where Mayor Bill de Blasio, city leaders and NYPD have dragged their feet to meet the governor’s mandate.

The deadline to do so is looming, he said.

“April 1 is just weeks away,” Cuomo said. “Elected leaders must lead and people must engage now. Reforming public safety is hard, but in life we will never solve a problem that we refuse to acknowledge or for which we deny reality and responsibility.”

Cuomo also said the state must also do more to protect homeowners and tenants by prohibiting penalties and late charges on past rent. He also proposed to eliminate premiums for 400,000 more low-income New Yorkers.

And the housing problem in cities like New York City can be alleviated by tying it to the growing number of commercial vacancies, he said.

“We should convert vacant commercial space to supportive and affordable housing and we should do it now,” he said. “Take the negative and make it a positive.

“Homeless shelters must be available, safe and secure. It’s not just our moral obligation, it is our legal obligation.”