Cuomo ridicules New York City move to strip $1B in NYPD funding

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo slammed the New York City Council’s move strip the New York Police Department of $1 billion in funding, questioning “what it means” and calling for concrete action.

“I don’t know what it means,” Cuomo said during a press briefing Wednesday. “What does that mean? Does this mean I am less safe? Where did you take the billion dollars from? Does it mean I am more safe? Does it have any effect on police abuse? I don’t know what it means.”

Cuomo’s comments came after the New York City Council passed a budget Tuesday night that shifted $1 billion from the New York Police Department to programs that assist youth and community development.

Cuomo also took a veiled swipe at New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who confirmed Wednesday morning that the city would paint “Black Lives Matter” outside Trump Tower on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan in the coming days.

“We’re going to paint ‘Black Lives Matter’ on the street in front of Trump HQ. Great,” Cuomo said. “From day one, I said I stand with Black Lives Matter. From Day one, I said I stand with protesters. I said great what this nation has done standing up after Mr. Floyd’s murder…I’m sorry it took so long. Why couldn’t we have done it after Eric Garner six years ago? Or Rodney King 30 years ago? But now we’re here. Great.”