Joni Ernst Proposes to Strip Andrew Cuomo of Infrastructure Funds Due to Sexual Harassment Allegation

New York incumbent Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo hugs a supporter after giving a campaign s
AP Photo/Mark Lennihan

Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) proposed an amendment to the so-called bipartisan infrastructure bill Tuesday that would strip any state of infrastructure funding if the governor was found to have sexually harassed employees.

Ernst filed amendment 2355 to the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act that would strip funds for any governor that was found to have sexually harassed his or her employees.

The amendment reads:

… none of the funds appropriate or otherwise made available under the Act may be provided to any State in which the governor of such State has been found, by the relevant State or Federal authorities, to have sexually harassed employees while holding the position of governor.

“A sitting governor who harasses and abuses women on his own staff and members of law enforcement must be held accountable, and shouldn’t be getting a dime of Iowa taxpayer money,” Ernst said in a statement Tuesday. “Here’s a good place to start.”

The amendment, if passed with the infrastructure bill, could likely impact New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), after New York Attorney General Letitia James announced Tuesday that Cuomo sexually harassed current and former state employees. James said this serves as a violation of both federal and state law.

“The independent investigation has concluded that Governor Andrew Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women and in doing so violated federal and state law,” James said.

Further, James found that Cuomo “sexually harassed current and former New York State employees by engaging in unwelcome and nonconsensual touching and making numerous offensive comments of a suggestive and sexual nature that created a hostile work environment for women.”

“These interviews and pieces of evidence revealed a deeply disturbing yet clear picture: Governor Cuomo sexually harassed current and former state employees, federal and state laws,” James said.

“The independent investigation found that Governor Cuomo sexually harassed multiple women, many of whom were young women.”

James also said Cuomo “fostered a toxic workplace that enabled harassment and created a hostile work environment where staffers did not feel comfortable coming forward with complaints about sexual harassment due to a climate of fear.”

Ernst 2355 – Sexual Harassment by Breitbart News on Scribd

Sean Moran is a congressional reporter for Breitbart News. Follow him on Twitter @SeanMoran3.

COMMENTS

Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.