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Suozzi sole New York Dem on bipartisan group to reopen nation

Robert Pelaez
U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) was appointed to the Opening Up America Again Congressional Group last Thursday. (Photo by Rose Weldon)

As the nation’s economy has suffered lost revenues at the invisible hands of the coronavirus, U.S. Rep. Tom Suozzi (D-Glen Cove) was appointed by the White House to the Opening Up America Again Congressional Group last Thursday.

The bipartisan group includes 97 members of the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate.  The group is one of the task forces set up by the White House to assess when the country will lift restrictions caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

Suozzi is the lone Democrat from the New York delegation and one of 10 Democrats in the nation on the task force. He has undertaken bipartisan efforts to increase federal funding for New York, where more than 30 percent of the nation’s confirmed coronavirus patients live.

“New York is at the epicenter of this storm and as a result we need special attention for our hospitals and our state and local governments,” Suozzi said. “We need to create funding formulas that are based on the rate of coronavirus infection and not irrelevant formulas that short New York and Long Island, diverting funding that is desperately needed here and now. Serving on this task force, I will give our region a voice and a fighting chance.”

 Suozzi appeared on NPR Monday and discussed the fight to supply New York with more federal funding. Suozzi is also pushing to replenish the Payroll Protection Program for small businesses.  The congressman spoke on the needs of “small”er businesses rather than “big” small businesses.

“Companies looking for $1 million are getting funded, but doctors, dentists, and plumbers with small practices looking for $50,000 or $100,000 are hearing ‘Sorry, no more money left,’ Suozzi said. “Too many banks prioritized existing clients with bigger businesses and ignored the little guys.”

Suozzi is also a member of the Problem Solvers Caucus, another bipartisan group composed of members of Congress that aims to find common ground on issues the nation faces.  On Monday, the group released a Reopening and Recovery “Back to Work” Checklist, a proposal focused on safely reopening the country and reigniting the economy.

The plan will establish guiding principles that the caucus hopes to see incorporated and addressed in the country’s plan to combat the global pandemic, according to Suozzi’s office.

Items on the public health checklist include operational protocols, rapid and ubiquitous testing, real-time health system capacity, and logistical supply chain disruption support plans.  On the economic checklist, items such as regulatory fixes, agriculture relief, infrastructure investment, and financing for businesses to reopen are among topics that the caucus will address.

“Our Problem Solvers checklist presents a common-sense path forward. More testing, contact tracing, and heeding the advice of experts will be essential,” Suozzi said. “We must also understand that reopening the economy in New York is very different than reopening it in North Dakota and we will need special help in New York. Everyone must put aside partisanship and work for the common good.”

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