Ari Fleischer on latest Trump-Cuomo spat: 'Whatever the federal government does, New York wants more'
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Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer told "Outnumbered Overtime" Friday that New York State will never be satisfied with the federal government's response to the coronavirus pandemic.
"Look, I was born in New York, raised in New York, I live in New York," Fleischer told host Harris Faulkner. "I'm here to tell you, New Yorkers are often the most [loud] but not often the most accurate."
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At his daily news briefing Friday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo told reporters that President Trump's move to give states responsibility to re-open economies and produce medical equipment -- just days after declaring "total authority" over them -- is just not possible.
"[The] Federal government cannot wipe their hands of this and say, 'Oh ,the states are responsible for testing.' We cannot do it. We cannot do it without federal help. OK, it's up to the states. But then, don't ask the states, don't give them this massive undertaking that has never been done before, and then never give them any resources to do it," Cuomo said.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}“Don’t pass the buck without passing the bucks," Cuomo said.
"The governor is saying [they] wipe their hands of it [and] we have no resources? The federal government is doing all of the above," Fleischer remarked. "But, it is insatiable here in New York. Whatever the federal government does, New York wants more. And, that's just the way New Yorkers are wired."
Fleischer added that it drives him crazy when Cuomo makes "statements like that" because the federal and state governments are working together right now.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"So, where are the [coronavirus] tests?" asked Faulkner. "The proof is in the pudding."
"The federal government has been moving tests out to the country, throughout the country," he replied. "The question is: how many do we have? Is it enough? How many can we produce? It's one gigantic effort.
"In some places, it's going to go better than [in] other places. That's obvious," Fleischer added "And, the only way forward is exactly what people are doing. The states and the federal government are working together. No one party is 'wiping their hands' of this [and] putting it entirely 100 percent on the back of the other."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK, STATE-BY-STATE
"It must be joint and it is joint -- except for the political rhetoric," Fleisher pointed out. "That's always out of line.
"But, going back to Governor Cuomo: he said about a week ago that when he asked New York City hospitals how many ventilators [they needed], every single one of them said to him that none of them had enough. They all needed more even if they had enough. They all wanted more," he concluded. "That's just how New Yorkers do it."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}President Trump responded to Cuomo on Twitter by slamming the governor for "complaining."
"Governor Cuomo should spend more time 'doing' and less time 'complaining'. Get out there and get the job done. Stop talking!" Trump wrote.
"We built you thousands of hospital beds that you didn’t need or use, gave large numbers of Ventilators that you should have had, and helped you with testing that you should be doing," Trump tweeted. "We have given New York far more money, help and equipment than any other state, by far, & these great men & women who did the job never hear you say thanks. Your numbers are not good."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cuomo retorted minute later, warning the president to “keep emotions and politics out of this.” The governor also told reporters that he has “applauded” the president’s response in New York, while also noting that the additional hospitals which were set up with help from the federal government were used.
And again, the president shot back.
"Cuomo ridiculously wanted “40 thousand Ventilators”. We gave him a small fraction of that number, and it was plenty. State should have had them in stockpile!" he tweeted.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}On Thursday, Cuomo extended his New York PAUSE executive order through May 15 in an effort to further curb the spread of the virus in the Empire State.
Cuomo also issued another executive order this week requiring all New Yorkers to wear face masks or coverings in public places—an order that went into effect Friday.
As of Friday, New York had reported more than 223,600 positive cases of COVID-19 and more than 14,800 deaths.
Fox News' Brooke Singman and Ronn Blitzer contributed to this report.