Gov. Andrew Cuomo expects a potential Biden administration will push for a new coronavirus aid package to support state and local governments that have been ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the details of the measure — including how much New York receives to cover billions of dollars in lost revenue — will likely be up to a negotiation between the possible new president and Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Cuomo, on Thursday in an interview with WAMC Radio, said he expects Biden would be able to deliver.
"Biden is by definition collegial and unifying, and that's going to make all the difference," Cuomo said in the interview.
A coronavirus aid package has stalled in Congress since the spring. Republicans in the U.S. Senate have been opposed to aiding Democratic states, complaining of a "blue state bailout."
But Cuomo in the interview on Thursday said it was President Donald Trump who polarized the Senate, and GOP lawmakers would be willing to strike a deal.
"Even the Republican states need help," Cuomo said.
Much of this is still based on assumptions of Biden winning and Republicans keeping control of the U.S. Senate. Biden is leading in key swing states at the moment in the march to 270 electoral votes, but the Associated Press is yet to call the race in states like Nevada, Pennsylvania, and Georgia.
Cuomo for weeks had signaled he was banking on a Biden victory to help move an aid package along in Congress as talks in the weeks up to Election Day faltered between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.
New York is facing a difficult budget year that without aid could lead to tax increase on the rich, spending reductions and borrowing.
Cuomo, meanwhile, kept the door open to marijuana legalization in New York, a measure that so far has not made it over the finish line in Albany amid disagreement over taxation, revenue, and licensing.
"The pressure will be on because we need the money so badly," Cuomo said.