Republican Rep. Andy Biggs (Ariz.) slammed New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo‘s (D) new coronavirus restrictions amid nationwide surges of the virus on Wednesday, calling the move tyrannical.
“Pseudoscience and tyranny at its worst,” Biggs responded to a tweet by Fox News contributor Sara Carter.
Carter’s tweet mentioned the new restrictions and noted that the New York governor did not cite recent celebrations surrounding President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’s projected wins as a source for increased infections of the coronavirus.
“Gov. Cuomo announces new restrictions as cases in NY surge,” Carter tweeted. “It’s interesting that #Cuomo doesn’t mention the #Biden celebrations over the weekend, but has no problem singling out the Jewish community… speaks volumes, doesn’t it?”
Cuomo and the state’s orthodox Jewish community have been at odds over coronavirus restrictions, particularly those that limiting the number of people gathering in places of worship.
Large celebrations spontaneously gathered across the U.S. on Saturday after President-elect Joe Biden and his running mate Vice President-elect Kamala Harris were projected the winners of the presidential election.
A senior adviser to Gov. Cuomo responded to Biggs’s remarks in a statement referring to President Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic.
“‘Tyranny’ would be trying to deny a democratic election and ‘pseudoscience’ is denying a pandemic, then lying about it, then telling people to chew Hydroquinone and chug bleach,” Rich Azzopardi, a senior advisor to the governor, wrote in an email to The Hill.
Cuomo called for restrictions on large gatherings, limiting both indoor and outdoor gatherings to no more than 10 people. He also implemented a new curfew for businesses holding a liquor license as well as gyms, now requiring them to close at 10 p.m.
The new advisories are set to begin on Friday.
Biggs has been vocal about fighting back against restrictions related to preventing COVID-19. In September, he called for his state to stop wearing face coverings.