New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is in the Nation's Capitol today to make a 42-Billion dollar pitch to Congress for storm aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy. Hudson Valley Bureau Chief Dave Lucas reports.
Cuomo's afternoon schedule is filled with meetings in Washington with several Senate and House leaders, including Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, House Speaker John Boehner and Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.
A Cuomo administration official said on Friday that the governor will be asking Congress for $42 billion in aid to help the state recover from the late-October storm.
Executive Director of New Yorkers for Fiscal Fairness Ron Deutsch is pleased the Governor is making the trip.
E.J. McMahon, Senior Fellow with the Empire Center in Albany, says Cuomo must be direct and transparent when he speaks with the national government leaders. Mc Mahon believes Cuomo's biggest challenge will be dealing with Republicans from other parts of the country who aren't sympathetic to sending storm aid New York's way.
McMahon says President Obama's proposed tax increase is structured in a way that will gouge Northeastern states in general and New York in particular.
SUNY New Paltz Political Science Professor Gerald Benjamin says going to Washington to help advance New York's interest is a traditional and classic role for Governors. There's been speculation that Cuomo may also intend to use the occasion to sow seeds for 2016 - Benjamin says "that's irrelevant".
Governor Cuomo is to be joined at some of this afternoon's Washington meetings by New York Senators Charles Schumer, Kirsten Gillibrand, and Congressmen Pete King, Michael Grimm and Bob Turner.