Fauci Insists Federal Coronavirus Aid Won’t Depend on ‘Appreciative’ Governors: People ‘Will Get What They Need’

Dr. Anthony Fauci contradicted Donald Trump on Sunday by saying federal aid to states dealing with the coronavirus should not be contingent on whether their governors are submissive enough to the president.

During his extended interview with CNN’s Jake Tapper, Fauci said he believes Andrew Cuomo when the New York governor says his state needs 30,000 more ventilators to handle the ongoing crisis.

“One way or the other, he needs the ventilators that he needs, and hopefully we will get him the ventilators that he needs,” said Fauci. “They may be closer to him than is realized. But if they’re not, we’ll get them there and if they are, we’ll try to help him get access to the ones that are there.”

In recent days, Trump trashed Cuomo’s requests for greater federal intervention, plus he stormed at other state officials for their criticisms of his administration’s COVID 19 response. Tapper ran this by Fauci, asking “can you assure the American people that whether or not they get the help they need from the federal government, it does not depend on whether their governors are appreciative enough of the federal help or flattering enough of the Trump administration?”

“I think the reality, not the rhetoric, but the reality is that the people who need things will get what they need,” Fauci answered. “There’s a reality and a rhetoric. I think that — I mean, I know the spirit of the task force and when we talk about when people need things, doesn’t matter who they are, we try to get them what they need.

Watch above, via CNN.