Today, Assemblyman Ed Ra (R-Franklin Square) joined with his Minority colleagues from both houses at a press conference in the Capitol to urge their Majority counterparts to work with them to remove the governor’s emergency powers immediately.

“This administration is spiraling. Now that more Majority members have signaled a willingness to join us in removing the governor’s emergency powers, the time to act is now. The people of New York state want bipartisan checks and balances,” said Ra.

Ra stressed the importance of removing the governor’s emergency powers immediately.

“There’s chatter about Majority members rolling emergency power removal into budget talks. That’s absurd, and it’s exactly what the governor wants. There’s no room for negotiation. His administration has been caught in a cover-up. His administration willfully manipulated data to obstruct federal prosecutors, stonewall lawmakers and mislead all New Yorkers. This can’t be a one-man show anymore,” said Ra.

At the press conference, the legislators detailed how many of the governor’s unilateral actions ranged from arbitrary (allowing big box stores to operate while shutting down small businesses) to egregious (his health department forcing nursing homes to admit COVID-19 patients from hospitals).

“We can’t provide oversight from the sidelines,” said Ra. “Removing the governor’s emergency powers is a necessary first step in promoting accountability and restoring public trust.”