Businesses with a presence in the lower Hudson Valley were among the 160 represented in a letter that was sent Wednesday to Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy urging immediate passage of the pending $1.9 trillion Covid-relief package.
Among those signing were: Scott H. Rechler, chairman and CEO of RXR Realty LLC, master developer of New Rochelle”™s downtown; Michael Miebach, CEO of Mastercard, which has a corporate campus in Harrison; Timothy Cawley, president and CEO of Con Edison, Inc.; Dexter Goei, CEO of Altice USA, which owns the Optimum cable system and News12; and Christopher Larsen, CEO of Halmar International, LLC, the Nyack-based construction company.
“The American Rescue Plan provides a framework for coordinated public-private efforts to overcome Covid-19 and to move forward with a new era of inclusive growth. The country”™s business community is prepared to work with you to achieve these critical objectives,” the letter states.
In a statement highlighting that the letter had been sent, the White House noted that the relief package has garnered wide support. It pointed to a survey by the business cable network CNBC showing that 63% of small-business owners support President Biden’s American Rescue Plan, a poll by CBS showed that 83% of Americans support the plan and endorsements from more than 400 U.S. mayors representing both major political parties.
“Previous federal relief measures have been essential, but more must be done to put the country on a trajectory for a strong, durable recovery,” the letter said. “Congress should act swiftly and on a bipartisan basis to authorize a stimulus and relief package along the lines of the Biden-Harris administration”™s proposed American Rescue Plan.”
The business leaders stated that at least 10 million fewer Americans are working today than when the pandemic began, small businesses across the country are facing bankruptcy, and schools are struggling to reopen.
“The most vulnerable Americans ”“ including women, people of color and low wage workers ”“ are experiencing the worst of the pandemic, with unprecedented job loss, childcare burdens and food insecurity. States and cities have been crushed by pandemic-related expenses and revenue losses,” the business executives said.
The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the package on Friday and it is expected to be approved. It”™s not clear how quickly the Senate will take up the measure because more time may be needed to line up votes for passage due to the razor-thin Democratic majority in that chamber.
Some Republicans and Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia have expressed opposition to a provision in the package that would raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour. Manchin and others have threatened to vote against the relief package unless the minimum wage provision is removed.
