Cuomo Disputes That He Threatened Assembly Republicans
Gov. Andrew Cuomo this morning denied that he threatened Assembly Republicans that he would campaign against them if they didn’t vote in favor of his tax-code bill Wednesday.
“I was explaining my position on the bill and what I believed the merits of the bill were,” Cuomo said this morning in Binghamton. The Press & Sun-Bulletin has the video here.
The Times-Union reported this morning that Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, R-Canandaigua, Ontario County, was told by Cuomo that the conference faced his wrath if they opposed the bill.
Cuomo called the Times-Union report “inaccurate.”
But Assemblyman Bill Reilich, R-Greece, Monroe County, confirmed the report this morning to Gannett’s Albany Bureau.
Reilich said Kolb was in conference with GOP lawmakers Wednesday night and received a call from Cuomo. Kolb said he would have to call back, and then Cuomo called a second time shortly thereafter. Kolb took the call and came back and told the 50-member conference of Cuomo’s threat, Reilich explained.
“It’s what I would call déjà vu,” Reilich said, referring to the threat in 2007 by then-Gov. Eliot Spitzer to then-Assembly Minority Leader James Tedisco when Spitzer referred to himself as an “f—-ing steamroller.”
“I think it actually could have reversed a few people,” Reilich explained. “I think some people were saying with that attitude, they wanted to go the other way.”
Reilich, who is chairman of the Monroe County Republican committee, said he was surprised the first-year Democratic governor would go to such lengths. The bill was set to be approved by the Democratic-led Assembly and the Republican-controlled Senate.
The bill to change the tax code easily passed in the Assembly, 130-8. It was passed in the early morning Thursday after lawmakers waited all day for the bill to be printed, only to see it shortly before the bill was approved—to the displeasure of Assembly Republicans.
“I don’t think it had any impact on the vote at all,” Reilich said of Cuomo’s call to Kolb. “The only thought I had was between two houses, you got 212 legislators, and I think all but eight at the end of the day voted for it? That’s not bad. I think you take that any day of the week. What’s the problem with that? What, do you think you’re going to have 100 percent unanimity on every issue?”
Cuomo said he was only explaining to Kolb that a vote against the bill would lead to funding cuts for schools and Medicaid. Cuomo pledged in next year’s budget to increase aid for schools and Medicaid by 4 percent, but without the additional $1.9 billion in new revenue from higher taxes on the wealthy, the funding increases would be unattainable, he said this morning.
“The state economic situation was such that we have a $3.5 billion deficit,” Cuomo said. “If the state did not have additional revenues, we would have had to bring the education budget and the Medicaid budget to below zero. There would have to be cuts to education and to Medicaid if we didn’t have revenue.”
Reilich said the whole thing may have been the result of a long day waiting for the bills to be printed.
“It was a long day for everyone, and I think tempers were short,” Reilich said.
Here’s the Press & Sun-Bulletin video.
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Cuomo is acting like a mafia thug, threatening and blackmailing his way to $2 Billion tax hikes which he then lies about being tax cuts. I know too many references to the mafia might be politically incorrect, so maybe “Chicago in Albany” will become the catch-phrase for this administration.
Cuomo changes the whole culture of the State and Albany but he is a thug? What nonsense from people who can’t actually accomplish anything but rather spread discontent and ignorance.
When you threaten like a dockside bully, you are a thug, regardless the cost of your Rolex.
Hell, at the moment,health care threatens to grow to consume the entire economy of not just the United States, but most of the developed world. If you want to use your go to example of Europe, they too face rising health care costs. Check our “Penny Health” to read articles on how to save money on health insurance.
Yes, the cost of healthcare is all consuming. So, let’s cut spending. If you didn’t save enuff during your 50 years of working to handle a nursing home bill of $10K per month for the last 48 months of your life, then TOUGH. Cut spending? OK – cut Medicaid and see what happens – not just for “welfare queens” but to hard working Americans who lived their lives in everyday jobs (i.e. not on Wall Street) and can’t afford long term healthcare costs.
“Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you did unto me”. Matthew, quoting Jesus. Rick Perry is a man of faith. Tell us, Rick, WWJD about Medicaid?