Elmira, N.Y., May 7—State Senator Tom O’Mara (R,C,I-Big Flats) today urged Governor Andrew Cuomo to keep his administration’s response to the COVID-19 emergency “laser focused on the short-term public health demands of this crisis and the need to get upstate back to work. We can’t afford to draw attention and resources away from the immediate crisis by engaging now in grand and radical ideas to remake education and health care.”
O’Mara was responding to Cuomo’s announcements this week
that the state will join forces with the Bill Gates Foundation to “reimagine”
education in New York and with Google to transform the state’s health care
system.
Both moves are raising concerns among O’Mara and legislative
colleagues, as well as state education and health care leaders, that Cuomo
could try to implement far-reaching changes without input from the Legislature,
stakeholders, and the public at large.
Since the state shutdown began in mid-March, Cuomo has
issued hundreds of executive orders that effectively allow the governor to make
state law unilaterally. A recent Buffalo News report, for example, estimated
that Cuomo has already authorized nearly $3 billion in spending on the COVID-19
response and some question whether the spending is being done with the
appropriate, independent oversight.
According to O’Mara, expanding unilateral action by the
governor is troubling.
O'Mara said, “We have been witnessing state government by
executive order. While I agree that the immediate COVID-19 response has
demanded an ability to respond swiftly, Governor Cuomo is going too far too
fast unilaterally and it raises serious and significant legislative concerns.
The Cuomo administration needs to keep state resources and manpower laser
focused on the immediate COVID-19 response. We need to weather this storm with
fiscal responsibility and strict priorities. We do need to look ahead, but now
is not the time to take state resources away from this public and economic
emergency to pursue grand ideas and radical reforms for education, health care,
or any other cornerstone of New York State’s long-term future. There will be a
time for all of that. Now is not that time and it can’t be Governor Cuomo alone
making those long-term reforms. It requires the involvement of the Legislature,
education and health care stakeholders, and the public at large. I have
stressed throughout the ongoing COVID-19 response that we need to be ready,
once we weather this storm, to start an open and full discussion on the best
ways to move forward for this entire state, upstate and downstate. It is going
to require a restructuring of New York government, strengthening the
state-local partnership, and getting back to work rebuilding New York with the
right priorities, long-overdue commonsense reforms, and fiscal responsibility.
I look forward to joining my Senate Republican colleagues throughout the months
ahead to put forth strategies and work to ensure that our upstate regions don't
get left behind in the unprecedented rebuilding and restructuring effort that
we're facing.”
Earlier this week O’Mara and Senate Republican colleagues
said that they will be putting forth a “Reopen and Reset” strategy for the
upstate regions they represent.
O’Mara, whose 58th Senate District covers most of the
Southern Tier and Finger Lakes regions, said that he and other members of the
state Senate GOP are discussing and developing strategies for upstate’s
post-coronavirus communities and economies focusing on several cornerstones
including the steady rebuilding of increasing numbers of economic sectors,
regulatory and tax reform, and mandate relief, among others.
