The leaders responsible for managing the coronavirus crisis in their states are doing what not a single vulnerable Republican Senate incumbent is willing to do: hold Majority Leader Mitch McConnell accountable for his reckless position that state and local governments should declare bankruptcy rather than receive federal aid, threatening essential services and the national economic recovery.
In a nationally-televised coronavirus update briefing, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo called the decision “short-sighted,” noting that “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?”
Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer called McConnell’s comments “incredibly irresponsible.” Maryland Governor Larry Hogan “panned the idea,” explaining “the last thing we need in the middle of an economic crisis is to have states all filing bankruptcy all across America and not able to provide services to people who desperately need them.” Other leaders have also criticized the Majority Leader’s comments.
Notably: not one Republican Senator on the ballot in November has spoken out against McConnell’s position that states and cities should go bankrupt instead of receiving support from the federal government.
Transcript of Governor Cuomo’s remarks:
Also, I wanted to speak to a point from our friends in Washington.
Senator McConnell, who’s the head of the Senate, you know we have been talking about funding for states and local governments and it was not in the bill that the House is going to pass today. They said, ‘don’t worry, don’t worry, don’t worry the next bill.” As soon as the Senate passed it – this current bill – Senator Mitch McConnell goes out and he says maybe the states should declare bankruptcy. OK – this is one of the really dumb ideas of all time. …
Not to fund state and local governments is incredibly short-sighted. 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? …
It also makes no sense that the entire nation is dependent on what the governors do to reopen. We’ve established that, it’s up to this governor or up to this governor or up to this governor, but then you’re not going to fund the state government? You think I am going to do it alone? How do you think it is going to work?
And then to suggest, “we’re concerned about the economy” – states should declare bankruptcy? That’s how you’re going to bring the national economy back? By states declaring bankruptcy? You want to see that market fall through the cellar? Let New York State declare bankruptcy. Let Michigan declare bankruptcy. Let Illinois declare bankruptcy. Let California declare bankruptcy. You will see a collapse of this national economy. So, just dumb.
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