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New York to Strip Cuomo of Emergency Coronavirus Pandemic Powers

“The temporary emergency powers have served their purpose—it is time for them to be repealed,” wrote state House Speaker Carl Heastie.

New York state lawmakers reached a deal on Tuesday to pass legislation stripping Gov. Andrew Cuomo of emergency powers granted in March 2020 to respond to the exploding coronavirus pandemic. The emergency powers, which included broader powers to implement executive orders, were set to expire April 30, but Tuesday’s bill will repeal them immediately. “A year into the pandemic, and as New Yorkers receive the vaccine, the temporary emergency powers have served their purpose—it is time for them to be repealed,” wrote state House Speaker Carl Heastie. Cuomo is facing heat on multiple fronts as he reckons with three former aides accusing him of sexual harassment and his administration’s intentional undercounting of nursing home deaths from COVID-19.