Adams Revs Up Local Manufacturers to Expand City’s Mask Supply
Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams today will join local mask manufacturers for a virtual press conference highlighting the variety of Brooklyn-based businesses creating face coverings for general consumption.
Adams will also call for the City to set up a small business grant program to help boost production.
The call comes after Governor Cuomo issued an order, which goes into effect on Friday, requiring all New Yorkers to wear face coverings in public when social distancing isn’t possible.
During the press conference, one of the manufacturers will provide a brief video tour of a Sunset Park-based factory floor.
Myrie Gives Coronavirus Updates
State Sen. Zellnor Myrie (D-Brownsville, Crown Heights, East Flatbush, Gowanus, Park Slope, Prospect Heights, Prospect Lefferts Gardens, South Slope, Sunset Park) in his daily e-newsletter yesterday gave some good news and bad news.
The good news is there has been a continuation of the downward trend in hospitalizations and intubations. The terrible news is it was another day with a large number of deaths.
“It is clear that we are slowing down the spread of the virus, but as we have written to you before, we can expect it to take longer to lower the number of deaths. Until then, we are continuing to pray for those who have suffered losses and again, we offer our help. We are continually collecting resources in our Resource Guide, serving constituents by phone, and planning our virtual events,” said Myrie.
He gave the following COVID Updates & Resource List:
- MASKS MADE MANDATORY: Governor Cuomo will sign a new Executive Order that will require all people to wear a mask in public if they are in a situation “where you are not maintaining social distancing,” such as taking public transportation. In addition, the mayor announced new guidelines requiring supermarket employees to wear masks.
- SSI RECIPIENTS TO RECEIVE STIMULUS PAYMENTS: The Social Security Administration announced today that Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients will receive automatic Economic Impact Payments directly from the Treasury Department. The U.S. Treasury expects the payments to go out by early May. SSI recipients who have qualifying children under age 17, however, should not wait for their automatic $1,200 individual payment and instead go here to provide their info.
- CONTINUED LOSSES, BUT LOWERED HOSPITALIZATIONS: There are now 11,568 deaths statewide, with 752 deaths yesterday, another devastating number. Hospitalizations went down slightly, a continued trend of the flattening of the curve, with 18,335 hospitalizations.
- NEW DATA COLLECTION UNDERWAY: In response to new guidelines from the CDC, the state plans to begin gathering categories of fatalities to better understand the losses from the virus. This will include “probable deaths” — deaths likely to have been caused by the virus — and information from nursing homes.
- CITY UPPING FOOD DISTRIBUTION AND PPE MANUFACTURING EFFORTS: The mayor unveiled new plans to ensure that everyone in the city has access to food during the crisis. (As a reminder, if you need food, you can text “NYCFOOD” or “COMIDA” to 877-877.) The new plan includes: $170 million for grab-and-go meals for all ages served at public schools, food delivered to seniors other vulnerable people, and $50 million for an emergency city food reserve of up to 18 million meals. The mayor also announced new partnerships with local companies to make face shields and other personal protective equipment.
- MUCH MORE TESTING NEEDED: Governor Cuomo says the state still needs to significantly ramp up testing in order to get a hold of the crisis and move toward normalcy, and that more federal help is needed to do that. Meanwhile, the mayor announced that the city will be able to conduct 50,000 tests per week by May.
Nadler Slams Trump’s Assertion That he Has Total Authority
U.S. Reps. Jerrold Nadler (D-Brooklyn, Manhattan) and Steve Cohen (D-TN) yesterday sent a letter to the Democratic Caucus outlining the president’s actual legal and constitutional authority to unilaterally reopen the economy.
The letter comes following President Trump‘s false assertion that he has “total” authority to “reopen the economy” and to order States to relax social distancing measures. Nadler is chair of the House Judiciary Committee Chairman, and Cohen chairs the Subcommittee on the Constitution, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties.
“President Trump was doubly wrong to claim “total” authority to dictate States’ public health policies. Unsurprisingly, he cannot point to any specific law that supposedly gives him that power. Nor does it rest hidden somewhere in the Constitution. On the contrary, the Tenth Amendment makes clear that “[t]he powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people,” the lawmakers wrote.
Ortiz Thankful For Donations to the Community
Assistant Speaker Felix W. Ortiz (D-Sunset Park, Red Hook) yesterday released a statement expressing appreciation for all of the generous individuals and companies who have donated their time and food to his community members living in Red Hook.
“The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting economic impact has made it difficult for some of my community members to obtain even basic necessities,” Ortiz said. “I am humbled by and thankful for all the donors that have partnered with the Red Hook Terminal to provide fresh fruits and vegetables to my community members during this pandemic.
Ortiz said to get the latest updates on the Covid-19 outbreak, please follow him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. For assistance, call his office at 718- 492-6334 or email OrtizF@nyassembly.gov.
U.S. Senate Dems Urge Extended Work Authorizations for DACA, TPS Immigrants
U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Immigration Subcommittee, yesterday led 37 Senators in a letter to President Donald Trump urging him to automatically extend work authorizations for Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients and other impacted immigrants.
Signing onto the letter were U.S. Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY).
More than 200,000 DACA recipients are working in occupational areas the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) identifies as part of the “essential critical infrastructure workforce.” TPS recipients, like DACA recipients, are vital contributors to the economy and health care workforce, with more than 130,000 TPS holders serving as “essential critical infrastructure workers.”
“This simple measure, which is well within your executive authority, will save American lives and avoid further disruptions to our economy,” the Senators wrote. “By contrast, going ahead with your Administration’s efforts to deport more than a million DACA and TPS recipients would be needlessly cruel and greatly weaken our nation’s essential workforce.”
Lentol, Maloney Announce Support for Rent Recovery Plan
Assembly Member Joseph R. Lentol (D-Greenpoint, Williamsburg) and U.S. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney (D-Greenpoint, Manhattan, Queens) yesterday announced plans to address rent relief for individuals, families, and small businesses who throughout the economy face grim but realistic financial hurdles caused by the COVID19 government-directed shut-down.
Rent responsibilities are the single biggest obstacle to recovery. This feedback was given to Maloney and Lentol from residential and commercial constituencies.
That is why Maloney will seek increasing direct aid to New York State through an expanded CARES program and through the enactment of the House Democratic proposal to create a $100 billion relief fund for rental assistance.
Lentol will sponsor an enhanced New York State rental assistance voucher program based on legislative proposals crafted from measures housing and homeless advocates were in support of this legislative session and ones already in existence. The state would use the federal funding to establish the COVID19 Emergency Rent Voucher Relief program.
This voucher program will provide housing and economic stability and will be retroactive to the date of the government directed shutdown and carry forward until June 30.
“We have established voucher systems already in existence to address rent issues. The most well-known and successful is Section 8. We need to expand those systems to provide temporary emergency rent vouchers to individuals, families, small property owners, not-for-profit landlords and small businesses that cannot cover rent using other traditional safety net programs,” said Lentol
“New York is facing unprecedented challenges due to the COVID-19 crisis, and it is crucial that we implement bold solutions that do not leave our tenants, small businesses, and nonprofits out in the cold. I am in favor of all provisions that will provide necessary rent relief to my constituents,” said Maloney.
