Posted 3 years ago
New York lawmakers voted to strip Gov. Andrew Cuomo of his extraordinary emergency powers on Friday, saying that current COVID-19 circumstances no longer justify the expansive powers Cuomo was granted last year. But the legislation also allows the governor to extend orders he has already issued.
New York's Senate and Assembly, both of which are led by Cuomo's fellow Democrats, approved the move on Friday. The Senate vote was 43-20; the Assembly vote was 107-43.
The votes took place as a pair of political crises are undermining the governor's standing. At least three women have accused Cuomo of sexual harassment, and his administration was found to have undercounted the coronavirus' horrible toll on nursing home residents. Those crises have fueled calls for Cuomo to resign, and for him to be impeached.
Earlier this week, Cuomo apologized for acting "in a way that made people feel uncomfortable," but he denied inappropriate conduct and refused to resign. The state's attorney general is conducting an investigation into the harassment allegations.
Several lawmakers who voted against the legislation Friday said they did so only because they believe it doesn't do enough to wrest power back from the executive branch.
"What more could this governor possibly do?" Republican Sen. Fred Akshar said, adding that Cuomo has issued some 96 orders during the pandemic. Approving the bill, Akshar said, "is worse than doing nothing."
The bill, which is identical in both chambers, allows the governor's COVID-19 directives to stay in effect for 30 days. But while it would stop Cuomo from issuing any new directives without lawmakers' approval, it also would allow the governor's existing directives to be extended.
The measure's supporters said it would be unsafe to suddenly lift all of the orders, noting that despite the arrival of vaccines, the pandemic isn't over. Cuomo has used the powers to enact a number of policies, from establishing capacity maximums for movie theaters to creating color-coded restriction zones and setting up quarantine restrictions for travelers.
Topic: Politics
Tags: New York Andrew Cuomo