5 Takeaways From Cuomo's Coronavirus Briefing Wednesday

NEW YORK, NY — Gov. Andrew Cuomo held his daily coronavirus briefing Wednesday at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., where he addressed the states' infection rate, infrastructure spending, and how lawmakers can protect workers when sending pandemic relief help to corporations.

The governor's briefing followed his meeting with President Donald Trump.

Here are five takeaways from Cuomo's briefing.

1. Evidence shows the coronavirus is spreading more slowly. The total number of COVID-19-related hospitalizations dipped to about 4,000 Wednesday after peaking at more than 18,000, while the number of new, daily hospitalizations dropped to 181, its lowest point since the state began publishing numbers in late March. Meanwhile, 74 people died from the disease overnight, including 48 in hospitals and 26 in nursing homes. That's essentially flat from Tuesday and down from 109 Saturday.

2. Cuomo repeated his plea to federal lawmakers in the nation's capital to fund state and local governments, noting that the two are essential to health of the national economy. The governor also criticized Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell and his allies for opposing legislation that would fund state and local governments, which pay for public services such as teachers, first responders, police officers and health care workers.

"Is now the time to savage essential services?" Cuomo asked.

Cuomo pointed to a Wall Street Journal article about a study that showed cuts to state and local governments will likely weigh on economic growth for years. He also referenced a March 19 quote by Jerome Powell, the chairman of the Federal Reserve, which said there's evidence that layoffs in state and local governments as well as lack of hiring "did weigh on economic growth."

3. To that end, Cuomo also continued pushing his "Americans First" legislation that would force companies that receive bailout money to hire back the same number of employees that they had pre-pandemic. The governor has repeatedly warned corporations will use the pandemic to pad their own pockets with bonuses and lay off workers to improve their bottom lines.

"I don’t think it’s going to bounce back," Cuomo said of the economy. "I think it’s going to bounce back for some."

He noted that tens of thousands of businesses have already been forced to shutter, and previously said he expects that number to reach 100,000.

4. Cuomo talked with Trump about accelerating New York's infrastructure projects to help stimulate the economy. On Tuesday, Cuomo said he wanted to launch major infrastructure projects, including building a new LaGuardia Airport and Empire Station at Penn, rebuilding the cross-Hudson tunnels and expanding the Second Avenue subway station in New York City. He talked with the president — who campaigned on infrastructure spending and improvements — about how to fast-track some projects, including the Hudson tunnels, which carry rail trains such as Amtrack. Those projects can begin once they get federal approval.

"Build them now," Cuomo said.

5. Cuomo reiterated he was following guidance from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in ordering nursing homes not to refuse admission to COVID-19 patients. Questions have swirled in recent weeks over the state's March 25 directive that nursing homes had to readmit residents who were hospitalized due to the COVID-19 disease and accept new residents who were deemed "medically stable." According to The Associated Press, more than 4,500 recovering coronavirus patients were sent to nursing homes in the state. The governor reversed the directive May 10.

On Wednesday, Cuomo reiterated that he has always followed health policy guidance from Trump's CDC, and noted that New York had fewer nursing home deaths per capita than 33 other states, "despite the fact we had greatest number of cases and were in the eye of the storm."