"I don't think it is legal," Cuomo told CNN.
Topline: Following reports that President Trump was considering an "enforceable quarantine" of the tri-state area, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo said in an interview with CNN on Saturday night that such a tactic was of questionable legality and would amount to no less than a "federal declaration of war."
Crucial quote: "This would be a federal declaration of war on states," Cuomo said, while also adding that he doubts that the President is looking to do that. "I've sued the federal government a number of times over the years. I do not believe it's going to come to that on this," he said.
Big number: 52,318. That's the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in New York, amounting to almost half of the national total (113,000) so far. Almost 30,000 cases have been confirmed in New York City alone. The state has become by far and away the epicenter of the pandemic in the U.S., facing a much greater caseload than in the next hardest-hit states, like New Jersey (8,825), California (4,914) and Washington (3,770). Cuomo forecasted that New York's apex of the pandemic is still 14 to 21 days away.
Key Background: In his press conference earlier on Saturday, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo criticized the federal government for making states compete with each other to buy medical supplies. Cuomo, who has repeatedly urged for wider implementation of the Defense Production Act to mobilize more resources, said, "you can see the prices going up, literally, during the course of a day." Ventilators originally cost around $25,000 each, but because of increased competition among states all trying to outbid each other, prices have soared to around $45,000. "On purchasing, you can't have a situation where 50 states are competing with each other to buy the same material-that is what is happening now," the New York governor said.
Tangent: Despite being under strict stay-at-home orders, New York has become a target of other state administrations, like in Rhode Island where local authorities are pulling over cars with New York license plates in order to collect contact information and the National Guard are knocking on doors in coastal cities to see if they're travelers from New York. Before leaving for Virginia, Trump echoed Florida Governor Ron DeSantis criticisms about New Yorkers traveling to Florida. The governor ordered fliers from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut to self-isolate for two weeks, though he also drew disapproval for refusing to enact a shelter-in place order and keeping beaches open throughout Spring Break.
Further reading:'Failing,' 'Snake,' 'Tantrums': Trump's War With State Governors Rages On Full coverage and live updates on the Coronavirus...
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