Faso: Cuomo relying on “fake news” and “fake numbers” in health care battle

Rep. John Faso accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo of “fake news” and using “fake numbers” in his opposition to the Faso-Collins amendment to the American Health Care Act.

The amendment, introduced by Faso and fellow New York Rep. Chris Collins, is an addition to the Republican health care bill which is aimed at swaying upstate Republicans to vote for it. It would make the state government fully cover the cost of Medicaid everywhere in the state outside New York City. Currently, county governments cover some of the cost of Medicaid, in an arrangement derided by many upstate lawmakers.

“He's running around the state telling hospitals and nursing homes that they're going to be shut down and closed and it’s just fearmongering,” Faso said of Cuomo in a television interview airing Thursday evening. “The numbers he's using are truly fake news and fake numbers.”

According to Faso’s office, the proposal would only apply to the $2.3 billion contributed by counties in New York outside of New York City. It would go into effect in 2020.

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Despite a pledge to vote on the full legislation on Thursday, House Republicans ultimately postponed the vote after struggling to secure enough votes.

Meanwhile, Cuomo has been rallying against the amendment, saying it would be impossible for the state to close the funding gap and threatening to sue the federal government. The governor has claimed that with the amendment, the House Republican legislation would leave 2.7 million New Yorkers without health care and slash federal Medicaid funding by $4.7 billion.

"Any time you cross Andrew Cuomo, he wants to come at you with a full frontal attack.”

“Life has options and the hard reality is that Collins and Faso are leaving New York State with only two unacceptable choices,” Cuomo said in a statement on Wednesday. “Either, we could pass on the devastating cuts to our hospitals, nursing homes and the 40 percent of New Yorkers who currently receive Medicaid and health benefits. Or, we would be forced to raise state income taxes – either by increasing taxes on all New Yorkers by 10 percent, or if Collins and Faso have their way in protecting only the wealthy, on the middle class by 26 percent. Any tax increase flies in the face of New York’s success in reducing spending and taxes to record lows.”

But Faso isn’t buying it, saying the Cuomo administration's “reputation for bullying is perhaps unsurpassed.”

“As people who follow Albany know, and just ask Mayor de Blasio – any time you cross Andrew Cuomo, he wants to come at you with a full frontal attack,” said Faso, who served for years in the state Assembly before getting elected to Congress last fall.

Republicans have been campaigning against the Affordable Care Act ever since President Barack Obama signed it in 2010. But even though a Republican is now in the White House and there are GOP majorities in both houses of Congress, the party has yet to arrive at a compromise on how to repeal and replace it that is acceptable to both conservatives and moderates.  

A Congressional Budget Office report concluded that that the Republican plan would save $337 billion over a decade but would also result in 24 million people losing coverage.

Faso made his statements in an interview on the WNET public affairs show “MetroFocus” airing Thursday night. Portions of the transcript were shared exclusively with City & State in advance of the broadcast. “MetroFocus” airs at 5 p.m. on WLIW21 and on WNET Thirteen at 6 p.m.