Dana Perino: 'Disgusting' for Cuomo to support income taxes on health care workers who came to NYC

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Cuomo: Most NY COVID-19 cases are people who were home

Effectiveness of New York lockdown in question; reaction and analysis on 'The Five.'

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"The Five" co-host Dana Perino voiced her displeasure Thursday with New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo after he announced that health care workers from around the country who traveled to his state to help fight the coronavirus pandemic would have to pay income taxes on money earned there.

"I remember when the governor made this plea and he said, 'Please, if you come to New York --  we need additional workers, health care workers, nurses, doctors, please come to New York.' And so many people answered the call," Perino said. "And now he says, 'Thank you for coming ... You're going to actually have to pay taxes on what we are paying you.'

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"They're getting paid. But it wasn't easy to come to New York, to the epicenter where they're putting themselves in harm's way," Perino added. "And then what he said today is, 'If the federal government could help us out with some of our state losses, then maybe I wouldn't have to do this, but sorry. Because the government won't do it. I have to do this to you.' That is wrong."

Cuomo said New York, which has seen more coronavirus cases than any other state in the U.S., is in dire need of federal funding to help it cope with the crisis.

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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has opposed so-called "blue state bailouts," and rankled Cuomo last month when he suggested that states be allowed to declare bankruptcy instead.

"Using [health care workers] as pawns in this scheme, terrible behavior," Perino said. "That's disgusting."

Fox News' Michael Ruiz contributed to this report.