C M Y K Nxxx,2021-08-11,A,001,Bs-4C,E1 Late Edition Today, sunshine and clouds, humid, high 90. Tonight, patchy clouds, hu- mid, low 78. Tomorrow, clouds and sunshine, hot and humid, high 94. Weather map appears on Page B12. VOL. CLXX . ...No. 59,147 © 2021 The New York Times Company NEW YORK, WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 11, 2021 $3.00 CUOMO TO QUIT IN HARASSMENT SCANDAL $1 TRILLION PLAN Denies Improper Acts, but Sees TO FIX AND BUILD ‘Mistakes’ PASSES IN SENATE By LUIS FERRÉ-SADURNÍ and J. DAVID GOODMAN Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo of New York said on Tuesday that he Bipartisan Deal Is Victory for President would resign from office, suc- cumbing to a ballooning sexual harassment scandal in an aston- By EMILY COCHRANE ishing reversal of fortune for one WASHINGTON — The Senate ping the Biden agenda, said in a of the nation’s best-known lead- gave overwhelming bipartisan statement that “I was proud to ers. approval on Tuesday to a $1 tril- support today’s historic biparti- Mr. Cuomo said his resignation lion infrastructure bill to rebuild san infrastructure deal and prove would take effect in 14 days. Lt. the nation’s deteriorating roads that both sides of the political aisle Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, and bridges and fund new climate can still come together around will be sworn in to replace him, be- resilience and broadband initia- common-sense solutions.” coming the first woman in history tives, delivering a key component The measure faces a potentially to occupy New York State’s top of- of President Biden’s agenda. rocky and time-consuming path in fice. The vote, 69 to 30, was uncom- the House, where Speaker Nancy “Given the circumstances, the monly bipartisan. The yes votes Pelosi and a majority of the nearly best way I can help now is if I step aside and let government get back included Senator Mitch McCon- 100-member Progressive Caucus to governing,” Mr. Cuomo said in nell of Kentucky, the Republican have said they will not vote on it remarks streamed from his office leader, and 18 others from his unless and until the Senate passes in Midtown Manhattan. “And party who shrugged off increas- a separate, even more ambitious therefore, that’s what I’ll do.” ingly shrill efforts by former Pres- $3.5 trillion social policy bill. That Mr. Cuomo’s dramatic fall was ident Donald J. Trump to derail it. could put the infrastructure bill on hold for weeks, if not months. shocking in its velocity and verti- “This historic investment in in- cal drop: A year ago, the governor frastructure is what I believe you, The legislation is, no doubt, sub- stantial on its own. It would be the was being hailed as a national the American people, want, what hero for his steady leadership you’ve been asking for for a long, largest infusion of federal invest- ment into infrastructure projects amid the coronavirus pandemic. long time,” Mr. Biden said from the The resignation of Mr. Cuomo, White House as he thanked Re- in more than a decade, touching nearly every facet of the economy 63, a three-term Democrat, came publicans for showing “a lot of a week after a report from the and fortifying the nation’s re- courage.” New York State attorney general sponse to the warming of the plan- Mr. McConnell, who publicly de- concluded that the governor sexu- et. Funding for the modernization clared that his priority was stop- ally harassed nearly a dozen of the power grid would reach women, including current and for- record levels, as would projects to mer government workers, by en- better manage climate risks. Hun- gaging in unwanted touching and dreds of billions of dollars would making inappropriate comments. go to repairing and replacing ag- The 165-page report also found ing public works projects. that Mr. Cuomo and his aides un- With $550 billion in new federal lawfully retaliated against at least spending, the measure would pro- one of the women for making her vide $65 billion to expand high- complaints public and fostered a speed internet access; $110 billion toxic work environment. for roads, bridges and other The report’s findings put in- projects; $25 billion for airports; creased pressure on Mr. Cuomo to and the most funding for Amtrak resign, with even President Bi- since the passenger rail service den, a longtime friend, advising was founded in 1971. It would also him to do so. It spurred the State revamp existing infrastructure Assembly — Mr. Cuomo’s last po- and transportation programs set litical bulwark in an Albany in- to expire at the end of September. creasingly arrayed against him — Its success, painstakingly nego- to take steps toward impeach- tiated largely by a group of Repub- ment. And it left Mr. Cuomo with lican and Democratic senators in few, if any, allies to fight on with consultation with White House of- him. ficials, is a vindication of Mr. Bi- The fallout from the report was den’s belief that a bipartisan com- swifter than even those closest to promise was possible on a priority Mr. Cuomo expected. He quickly that has long been shared by both became isolated and grew more so parties — even at a moment of by the day. His top aide, Melissa PETE MAROVICH FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES deep political division. SETH WENIG/ASSOCIATED PRESS DeRosa, resigned Sunday. On President Biden on Tuesday. Continued on Page A9 Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo in Manhattan after announcing his resignation, to take effect in 14 days. Monday, the speaker of the State Assembly, Carl E. Heastie, made clear that there would be no “deal” to allow Mr. Cuomo to avoid an im- Steep Challenge Awaits Biden: Governor’s Protectors Dwindled to Only Himself peachment that appeared in- creasingly inevitable. — that Mr. Cuomo had harassed a In the end, Mr. Cuomo followed Keeping Party Factions in Line female trooper on his security de- through on the advice his top ad- This article is by Matt Flegen- It Took Day of Setbacks visers and onetime allies had been heimer, Maggie Haberman, William tail — had astonished even those who knew him best. offering: leave office voluntarily. K. Rashbaum and Danny Hakim. to Realize Options By stepping down, Mr. Cuomo By JONATHAN WEISMAN and ZOLAN KANNO-YOUNGS The governor’s circle had al- Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo was dampened talk of impeachment in ways been small to the point of WASHINGTON — The Senate’s at least a couple of planes circling wearing everyone down. Had Run Out the State Assembly, which is dom- claustrophobic. But increasingly, passage on Tuesday of a trillion- the airport in stormy weather, and He was being wronged, he inated by Democrats, and left dollar infrastructure package everyone wants to see their loved railed to advisers over the week- on the question of resign or fight, open the possibility, however re- Mr. Cuomo was becoming a coali- may have been a vote of confi- ones on the ground. But the im- end, and with few allies left to de- he felt. And those he saw fit to mote, for a political revival. tion of one. At times, he spent the dence for President Biden and his portant thing is to get everyone fend him publicly after a damning fight. In a 21-minute speech that was last days effectively forum shop- insistence that bipartisanship can down safely. In what order and at state attorney general’s report Never mind the toll that the re- by turns contrite and defiant, Mr. ping among advisers — telling still thrive, but there is a far hard- what time best assures that, that’s into allegations of sexual har- port was having on some of those Cuomo decried the effort to re- them he wanted to stay and that er task ahead for his agenda: the challenge.” assment, he feared that voters closest to Mr. Cuomo, including move him and acknowledged that keeping Democrats in lock step. Mr. Biden, he said, will be “abso- were getting an unshakable im- his brother, Chris Cuomo, the he believed he should be allowed his initial instinct had been “to The crosscurrents in the presi- lutely critical.” pression, according to people with CNN host whose familial counsel to, then waiting for them to tell fight through this controversy, be- dent’s own party have only sharp- In an evenly divided Senate and direct knowledge of his conversa- on the allegations caused an out- him he was right. Most had given cause I truly believe it is political- ened since Congress began mov- a narrowly divided House, the tions. cry, and his top aide, Melissa up on trying to talk him out of it, ly motivated.” ing on parallel tracks with two path for Mr. Biden’s agenda is Everyone was talking about 11 DeRosa, who had already been even if they were not encouraging “This situation and moment are separate legislative efforts. One, a treacherous. It is remarkable that women, he complained privately, considering stepping down for him to press on. not about the facts,” he said. “It’s $1 trillion bipartisan measure that his expansive social and economic but only a handful of accusations weeks. Never mind that a new But by Sunday, Ms. DeRosa — not about the truth. It’s not about the Senate passed Tuesday, would proposals — all $4 trillion of them were truly damaging in a vacuum, revelation from the investigation Continued on Page A12 Continued on Page A14 pay for roads, bridges, rail and wa- — have gotten this far, and the two ter systems.