Cuomo lobbies Trump on infrastructure projects

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo lobbied US President Donald Trump in Washington for federal help with multi-billion-dollar New York City transportation projects and accused top Republicans of "abusing" states hardest hit by COVID-19 by opposing more aid.

Cuomo wants to accelerate work on large infrastructure projects to jump-start New York's outbreak-ravaged economy.

Cuomo said he talked to Trump Wednesday about getting federal help to move ahead quickly with two train tunnels beneath the Hudson River, an expansion of the Second Ave Subway and an "AirTrain" linking LaGuardia Airport in Queens to Manhattan.

"You know you need to do large scale infrastructure, when is there going to be a better moment in history to do it? You're spending billions, if not trillions of dollars to handle COVID and bring back the economy. At least build things that we can leave our children like our grandparents did for us," Cuomo said in a briefing in Washington after meeting the president.

Cuomo said the two were to talk again next week.

The Democratic governor also is seeking federal aid for states struggling with revenue shortfalls due to the pandemic.

Some Republicans in charge of the Senate have opposed the additional aid and Cuomo doubled down on his harsh criticism of them.

The coronavirus causes only mild symptoms in many, but it can cause serious illness or death for some, particularly older adults and those with certain health conditions.

The U.S. ranks first in the world in the number of confirmed cases of coronavirus.

Worldwide, the outbreak has infected more than 5.6 million people and killed over 350,000, according to the same Johns Hopkins University tally based on figures supplied by government health authorities around the globe, though it has become increasingly clear that the true numbers are much higher.