New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo threatened to take legal action against the Trump administration in order to ensure the equitable distribution of a vaccine in his state.
“The Trump administration is designing the distribution plan, and their plan basically has private healthcare companies administer the vaccines,” Cuomo said in an address to Manhattan’s Riverside Church on Sunday. “The president talks about CVS and Walgreens and national chains. Sure. But they are mainly located in rich communities, not in poor communities. My friends, we cannot compound the racial injustice that COVID has already created. And let me be clear — the black and brown communities that were first on the list of who died cannot be last on the list of who receives the vaccines, period.”
Cuomo confirmed that if changes are not made to the distribution plan, the state will be joining a lawsuit with the NAACP and the Urban League in an attempt to correct the problems he sees. The governor argued that states need more funding from the federal government in order to distribute the vaccine properly.
“I’ve tried to work with the Trump administration and argue morality and principle for four years. You’re better off trying to argue with a rock. But it’s not just about morality,” Cuomo said. “There can be no more fundamental right in this moment than access to the vaccine. Any plan that intentionally burdens communities of color to hinder access to the vaccine deprives those communities of equal protection under the law and equal protection is enshrined in the Constitution of these United States.” Read more…
