Republican state lawmakers call for Cuomo to be stripped of emergency powers

Some Republican lawmakers in the state Assembly and Senate are calling for Gov. Andrew Cuomo to be stripped of the emergency powers he was granted to deal with the coronavirus.
It was nearly a year ago that the state Legislature voted to give the governor those powers.
The Republican leaders say it goes beyond the controversy with Gov. Cuomo's handling of nursing homes.
They say they wanted the governor to have the ability to act faster and in the interest of public health at the start of this pandemic during a time when we didn't know what would happen or whether the Legislature could even meet for session.
That law said the governor "may issue any directives during a state disaster emergency declared" - that includes an epidemic.
Republicans say the government needs to be where the executive and legislative branches work together, not the executive branch working by itself.
"We are moving in a positive direction and although there was support for the governor to receive extraordinary powers at the beginning of this pandemic, that time has long since passed," says Assemblywoman Mary Beth Walsh.
Gov. Cuomo had his own press conference Monday where he talked about the continued reopening of New York.
Visitors will be allowed in nursing homes starting Friday, pool halls will be allowed to open at 50% capacity and New York City movie theaters can open at 25% capacity.
News 12 reached out to Gov. Cuomo about the call for his emergency powers to be revoked but has not heard back yet.