May - 2020

WCP Story of the Week

This week's stories...

Lowey Highlights Administration’s Neglect of Small Businesses for which Relief was Established

WASHINGTON, DC – Congresswoman Nita Lowey (D-NY17/Rockland-Westchester), Chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, recently sent a letter to the Small Business Administration (SBA) Administrator Jovita Carranza highlighting SBA’s mismanagement of many aspects of the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), EIDL Grants, and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. This letter requests an oversight briefing call with Administrator Carranza and clarification on how muc

Judge Reinstates June 23rd Presidential Primary

Dear Friends, On Tuesday, United States District Judge Analisa Torres ordered the New York State Board of Elections to reinstate to the Democratic presidential primary ballot those candidates who were duly qualified as of April 26, 2020, and to hold the primary election on June 23, 2020. In April, New York State enacted a law allowing the Board of Elections to omit from a presidential primary ballot any candidate who is no longer seeking the nomination. Under that authorit

The Lifeboat Dilemma

Like the Titanic, the U.S. ship “Democracy” has struck several proverbial icebergs and is going down. The madman at the helm who drove us into these multiple disasters is insisting that the band continue to play a merry tune as the water rises above the gunnels. The Democratic Party establishment has launched an unimpressive life raft in the form of former Vice President Joe Biden and insists that, for the sake of our own survival, people of color and the poor must jump aboa

As Trump Approvals Sink During COVID-19 Crisis Democrats Look to Take the U.S. Senate

As the coronavirus devastates the economy, businesses lose millions, prompting over 25 million Americans to file for unemployment. The Republican Party, now controlling the White House and the U.S. Senate, is in danger of losing control of it all. The first shot across the Republican bow arrived from Virginia in 2017, when three Democrats were elected statewide. The next year in 2018, Democrats took control of the U.S. House of Representatives. In 2019, Democrats took a Gov

NAACP Launches #WeAreDoneDying Campaign, Empowering Black and Brown Communities to Take Action Again

Washington, D.C. (May 7, 2020) – The NAACP, the nation’s foremost social justice organization, has launched a campaign entitled #WeAreDoneDying, aimed at exposing the inequities embedded into the American healthcare system and the country at large. From COVID-19 to running while Black in America, the abuse faced by people of color, particularly African Americans is devastating. The campaign is a Call-to-Action and highlights the NAACP’s policy interests and supported legisla

The Rush to Reopen Economy Risks Lives and Could Worsen the Economic Crisis

“Researchers at the Harvard Global Health Institute estimate that the U.S. will have to have at least triple the number of tests carried out daily, from about 150,000 to 500,000, for the country to safely ease restrictions on local businesses and gatherings. That translates to 1.52 tests for every 1,000 individuals in the population. Only Rhode Island and West Virginia meet that standard.” – U.S.News & World Report The number of Americans who have filed a claim for unemploym

What do you have to lose? Your Health or Your Job

A little less than four years ago, the president tried to get Black votes with the question, “What do you have to lose.” The coronavirus offers a bleak answer. Trump was notified of the danger of the pandemic in January, but didn’t begin to address the issue until late February. Hospitals ran short on supplies like gowns, masks and tests. Governors had to ask, then plead with the president for ventilators and other supplies. And in the beginning, the president dismissed

Restaurants in America Hard Hit by COVID-19 Face Uphill Battle to Return to Normal

“There’s a lot of fear, will tourists come back, will people come out? Are the employees going to want to come back to work? How are we going to convince everybody it’s safe and healthy to eat in a restaurant again?” This is what Melissa Fleischut, president of the New York State Restaurant Association, told a reporter last month. The devastating economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic has been particularly divesting to the restaurant and service industry. One estimate

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