ALBANY – New York’s Governor is blaming President Donald Trump for playing politics with the state after a federal grant for public health services that benefit the poor and middle class was canceled.
Governor Andrew Cuomo claims it’s political payback to a blue state that can’t be won by republicans in November.
In 2014, New York State was awarded a healthcare funding grant from the federal government for about $8 billion. The Governor said it helped move healthcare services from being mostly hospital driven to community-based or urgent care system. But that grant is coming to a close.
“Friday, they announced that they are cancelling that grant to New York,” Cuomo said. “Costs us about $600 million this year, and that is basically through the Medicaid program.”
The Governor said there were hospitals anticipating the funding. He called the move “counter productive and harmful to the state,” and he’s looking to fight the cut.
“We’re going to contact our Congressional delegation, and we’re going to marshal all of our allies, because it’s unconscionable,” he said.
The state’s budget director said the end of the funding will impact only providers but will not change the target for the state’s Medicaid reductions.
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