The governor expanded his criticism to the entire New York congressional delegation, saying that all three federal rescue bills passed in recent weeks failed to address the state’s looming budget deficit despite his direct communication with senators and representatives.

“Why would you do that to the state of New York?” he asked of the restriction on Medicaid restructuring. ‘Why would you say, ‘Stop a Medicaid redesign that saves taxpayers money that has to be passed by the Assembly and has to be passed by the Senate’? Why would a federal government … trample a state’s right to [address] a Medicaid program that it runs? I don’t even know what the political interest is that they’re trying to protect.”