New York Governor Andrew Cuomo (D) made it clear during his press conference on Monday that President Trump is correct when he says testing for COVID-19 is to be headed by the state governments.
Trump has reminded committed to having the states within the country take the lead to expand their testing capabilities in order to reopen to prevent further economic damage.
... “Testing, Testing, Testing,” again playing a very dangerous political game. States, not the Federal Government, should be doing the Testing - But we will work with the Governors and get it done. This is easy compared to the fast production of thousands of complex Ventilators!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 20, 2020
Cuomo was asked by a reporter to respond to Trump's tweet.
"The President is right. The states — testing is up to the states, which will implement the tests and logistically coordinate the tests," Cuomo said.
"For example in this state, I should make the determinations as to what labs participate in testing. We have about 300 labs in New York. It is my job to coordinate those 300 labs, which ones should do it, which one should not. How do I decide which labs work where? They are regulated by the states, these labs...How many tests can I get done in total, how many tests can I get done in total, how do I allocate those tests, how many antibody tests can I get from those labs," he continued.
Cuomo added while Trump is right on this issue, the labs will need federal support for the supply of testing material and they are currently running into supply chain issues.
Cuomo's comments come as Democrats in Washington, D.C. are holding up additional funding for small business loans because they want the federal government to take charge of the nation-wide testing effort.
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