Questions over governor's emergency powers as COVID cases rise in NY
Does New York's Governor need COVID emergency powers?
When concerns over the Omicron variant of the coronavirus surfaced last week, Gov. Kathy Hochul wasted no time using her emergency powers, but some are wondering how far the legislature will let her go, given all the controversy surrounding her predecessor's use of pandemic powers.
NEW YORK - As COVID cases in New York hit the highest numbers since February, the question is being asked if Governor Kathy Hochul needs the emergency powers used by her predecessor.
Two years ago at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, former Governor Andrew Cuomo had a lot of political capital. He commanded sweeping powers that were stripped by the state legislature once he was embroiled in scandals.
Political experts say that this time around, it would take major motivation for the state legislature to once again grant sweeping emergency powers to a governor. For instance, if COVID cases skyrocket because of the new variant, or if the number of deaths increases dramatically.
Rep. Tom Suozzi, who is running against Hochul for the Democratic nomination for Governor, repeatedly clamored for a comprehensive plan, implying Hochul does not currently have one.
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"We need to have a plan for what we are going to do if things go off the rails," Suozzi said. "We can't let the economy close down again."
"Since day one, Governor Hochul has effectively utilized every power at her disposal to combat COVID-19, including enforcing a nation-leading health care worker mandate, statewide vaccine pop-up sites and ad campaigns to encourage vaccinations, incentives for the vaccine hesitant, and staying in constant communication with local partners to provide support on the ground," a spokesperson for Gov. Hochul told FOX 5 NY in a statement.
"The answers are highly political answer, a coded answer," Basil Smikle, former Executive Director of the New York Democratic Party told FOX 5 NY about the spokesperson's statement. "But basically what you're saying is 'I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that everything that worked over the last two years still works. But I'm going to make sure that you don't think of me and Andrew Cuomo in the same breath.'"