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<ul class="summary-list"><li>The House <keyword id="6359222" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Small-Business">Small Business</keyword> Committee introduced legislation to extend the PPP through May 31.</li><li>The program is set to expire this month.</li><li><keyword id="60973" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Biden">Biden</keyword>'s stimulus bill includes additional aid for small businesses but not a PPP extension.</li></ul>Ahead of its current expiration date on March 31, the House Small Business Committee introduced legislation on Thursday to extend the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) through the end of May, providing further relief for small businesses. Led by Small Business Committee chair Nydia Velázquez, ranking member <keyword id="10911779" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="blaine-luetkemeyer">Blaine Luetkemeyer</keyword>, Rep. Young Kim of California, and Rep. Carolyn Bourdeaux of Georgia, the bipartisan Paycheck Protection Program Extension Act would extend the PPP by two months and allow an additional 30 days for the <keyword id="174189" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Small-Business-Administration">Small Business Administration</keyword> to process loans submitted prior to the new deadline on May 31."The demand for PPP loans right now is a testament to the program's effectiveness and the lingering impacts of this pandemic," Velázquez said in a <a href="https://republicans-smallbusiness.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=403484">statement</a>. "That's why we cannot cut off aid now and this short-term extension is so important."A senior Democratic aide <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/11/congress-small-business-loan-program-extension-475294">told</a> Politico that the House will vote on the measure next week, prior to members leaving Washington in mid-April.This news would be a welcome change for small businesses who are continuing to experience financial hardships brought on by COVID-19. On February 22, President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/5-ways-joe-biden-tweaked-ppp-small-business-aid-2021-2">amended</a> the PPP to target the smallest businesses and ensure that the aid was being distributed equitably, and in the $1.9 trillion stimulus bill the president <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stimulus-biden-signs-trillion-covid-relief-package-checks-direct-payments-2021-3">signed</a> on Thursday, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/democrats-propose-50-billion-small-business-aid-stimulus-package-2021-2">$50 billion</a> is set aside for small businesses, including $7.25 billion specifically for the PPP.The Federal Reserve Board also announced on Monday the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/paycheck-protection-program-liquidity-facility-small-business-extended-3-months-2021-3">extension</a> of the PPP's liquidity facility through June 30, allowing banks to continue pledging loans made through the program to small businesses. "Getting our <keyword id="34412" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="100" keywordseo="economy">economy</keyword> back means bringing our small businesses back," Biden <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/speeches-remarks/2021/02/22/remarks-by-president-biden-on-helping-small-businesses/">said</a> at a press conference on February 22. "And that's what we're going to do."

Paycheck Protection Program may be extended through May 31 to provide aid to small businesses

<ul class="summary-list"><li>The House Small Businesses Committee proposed $50 billion in <keyword id="45304" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Stimulus">stimulus</keyword> aid for small businesses.</li><li>The bill includes $25 billion for restaurants, an additional $7.25 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program, and an additional $15 billion for Economic Injury Disaster Loans.</li><li>82% of Americans say they view small businesses aid as the most important part of any economic relief package.</li></ul>The House Committee on <keyword id="6359222" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Small-Business">Small Business</keyword> unveiled its <a href="https://smallbusiness.house.gov/uploadedfiles/sec_by_sec_rescue_plan_final_2.7.2021.pdf">draft</a> stimulus bill on Sunday, which includes $25 billion in restaurant aid and an additional $7.25 million allocated toward the Paycheck Protection Program.House committees are in the midst of marking-up components of proposed stimulus provisions to be included in the final aid package, likely to be voted on at the end of February.The House Small Business Committee's bill, led by Chair Nydia Velázquez, created a $25 billion program for restaurants, of which $5 billion would be set aside for businesses with less than $500,000 of annual revenue in 2019. The bill also proposed an additional $7.25 billion to be allocated toward the Paycheck Protection Program, which would increase the program level from $806.4 billion to $813.7 billion.The PPP reopened in January as a result of the funding Congress provided in the December stimulus package, and the additional proposed $7.25 billion would allow the program to be expanded to nonprofits and digital news outlets."In 2021, we must enact additional long-lasting relief measures under the Biden Administration," Velázquez said in a <a href="https://smallbusiness.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=3487">statement</a> following the December stimulus package. "America's economic healing depends on the wellbeing of our small businesses and their employees. We will work until all small firms are taken care of and on the road to recovery."On top of added funding for the PPP, the bill also proposed an additional $15 billion for the Targeted <keyword id="9136548" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="economic-injury-disaster-loan">Economic Injury Disaster Loan</keyword> Advance program - $20 billion was allocated in the December package - which provides aid to businesses that suffered a revenue loss during the pandemic of at least 50%. Insider previously reported that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/heres-how-bidens-stimulus-proposal-provides-small-business-aid-2021-1">82% of Americans</a> view <keyword id="9802462" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="small-business-aid">small business aid</keyword> as the most important part of any new economic relief package, and measures introduced by other House committees, like <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/democrats-coronavirus-stimulus-measure-extend-monthly-unemployment-benefits-through-august-2021-2">extended unemployment benefits</a> and an <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/house-education-includes-minimum-wage-increase-130-billion-reopening-schools-2021-2">increase to the federal minimum wage</a>, will also help small businesses revive from financial losses brought on by COVID-19.Other elements of the bill included $175 million for a Community Navigator pilot program, which helps socially and economically disadvantaged businesses access COVID-19 relief funding, and an additional $1.25 billion for shuttered venue operators.

Democrats propose $50 billion in small business aid as part of larger pandemic relief plan

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Brooklyn activist and rapper <keyword id="9451962" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="paperboy-prince">Paperboy Prince</keyword> is vying to become the first <keyword id="9071042" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="nonbinary">nonbinary</keyword> member of <keyword id="1575" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Congress">Congress</keyword>.</li><li>Their long-shot Democratic primary bid hangs in the balance as New Yorkers go to the polls on Tuesday.</li><li>Prince has developed an energetic following by leading protests around the city, and has railed against career politicians who are slow to respond to their constituents.</li></ul>Paperboy Prince could move one step closer to becoming the first nonbinary member of Congress on Tuesday.Although the New York City activist and rapper is a long shot in their Democratic primary bid for New York's 7th Congressional District, which represents parts of Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan, they've attracted an energetic following by leading protests around the city.Prince, who uses they/them pronouns but will accept any pronoun "as long as it's with love," said their campaign is raising awareness of the needs of nonbinary New Yorkers and other residents who feel pushed to the fringes."We wold push the boundaries in a lot of ways as far as the way that we dress, the way that we're referred to, the people we stand up for," Prince told <keyword id="9054837" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="business-insider-today">Business Insider Today</keyword>. "Times are changing, and it's about raising the collective consciousness of this country."Prince is hoping to unseat Rep. <keyword id="265626" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Nydia-Velazquez">Nydia Velazquez</keyword>, a 14-term incumbent who has been in office since 1993.Prince's campaign centers on proposals for universal basic income, Medicare for all, and bringing people together — especially in the face of politicians who they've described as purposefully inaccessible and slow to respond to those they represent."Right now, when we have all of these tools to reach people, to touch people, to educate people, why aren't our elected officials maximizing those tools?" they said. "It's because they don't want you involved in the process.""We see the politicians as the police and as the state until they prove their loyalty to the people. And that's very easy to do. Talk to us. Work with us. Be consistent. Keep your word. Don't lie."<h2><a href="https://www.facebook.com/BusinessInsiderToday/videos/584159402496918">See more on Business Insider Today »</a></h2>

NYC rapper Paperboy Prince could become the first nonbinary candidate to win a primary bid for Congress

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="124657" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Puerto-Rico">Puerto Rico</keyword>'s Governor told <a href="https://www.axios.com/puerto-rico-governor-statehood-axios-hbo-1ed4d002-8e46-4387-8de7-95b86631bb8c.html">Axios</a> that he expects the House to introduce a statehood bill in March.</li><li>The territory voted in favor of statehood by a slight margin. </li><li>Gov. Pedro Pierluisi is hopeful that statehood could grant residents more rights and privileges. </li></ul>Puerto Rico's new governor said that the current Congress is "morally obligated" to act quickly on a statehood bill for the territory after residents voted in favor of it during their last election, <a href="https://www.axios.com/puerto-rico-governor-statehood-axios-hbo-1ed4d002-8e46-4387-8de7-95b86631bb8c.html">Axios</a> reported. Gov. Pedro Pierluisi told Axios on HBO that he expected the House of Representatives to introduce a bill by mid-March."What I anticipate is that there will be considerable support for a statehood bill in this Congress," Pierluisi said. Pierluisi, who was elected governor in the November election and sworn in last month, ran on a promise to gain statehood for the territory, the <a href="https://apnews.com/article/us-news-puerto-rico-coronavirus-pandemic-financial-markets-poverty-fccd0137008f0ab0f8794c00c4b6acdf">Associated Press</a> reported. The <a href="http://elecciones2020.ceepur.org/Noche_del_Evento_92/index.html#es/default/PLEBISCITO_Resumen.xml">vote for statehood</a> won by a slight margin, with 52% of Puerto Rican voters in support and 47% against. Pierluisi told Axios that statehood is the best way for residents of the territory to get equal treatment with their stateside counterparts. "We need a game-changer in Puerto Rico. And one game-changer would be that we get equal treatment in key federal programs," Pierluisi said, referring to programs like Medicaid and the Earned Income Tax Credit. Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-federal-state-local-investigation-prosecution-georgia-call-2021-1">Trump just beat his 2nd impeachment conviction, but a massive tsunami of legal peril still awaits</a>While Puerto Ricans are citizens of the US, they can't vote for the US president and don't have representatives in Congress with full voting powers.Before becoming governor, Pierluisi was Puerto Rico's <a href="https://gonzalez-colon.house.gov/about/what-resident-commissioner">Resident Commissioner</a> in Congress for eight years. This representative is able to vote on matters in the committees on which they serve but is unable to vote on the final passage of bills or for the Speaker of the House. "The US could be expanding by admitting Puerto Rico into the union," Pierluisi said. "It would be telling the world that it is embracing diversity because this would be a truly, completely Hispanic state."Advocates say that <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DjAqBWI_qSI">President Joe Biden's support of the idea,</a> as well as Democratic control of the House and Senate, makes the idea of statehood, which has been discussed in the past, more likely.But not all Democrats have been in favor of the idea. Last August, New York Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Nydia Velazquez proposed legislation that would have allowed the territory to become independent, have self-determination, or become a state, <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/news/latino/new-aoc-vel-zquez-bill-puerto-rico-s-status-sparks-n1238192">NBC</a> reported.

The new governor of Puerto Rico expects 'considerable support for a statehood bill' from this Congress

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Thirteen prominent New York congressional Democrats called on Gov. <keyword id="196530" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Andrew-Cuomo">Andrew Cuomo</keyword> to step down.</li><li>Progressives like <keyword id="212097" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="AOC">AOC</keyword> joined establishment figures like Chuck Schumer to demand Cuomo's resignation.</li><li>The Democratic governor has been engulfed in a firestorm of <keyword id="338692" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="sexual-misconduct">sexual misconduct</keyword> allegations.</li></ul>Thirteen powerful Democratic congressional representatives from New York released statements on Friday calling for the state's Democratic governor, Andrew Cuomo, to resign amid a flurry of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/andrew-cuomo-scandals-summary-sexual-harassment-nursing-homes-impeachment-resignation-2021-3">sexual misconduct allegations</a>.Here are the lawmakers who demanded Cuomo's resignation on Friday:<ul><li>Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer</li><li>Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand</li><li>Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez</li><li>Rep. Jamaal Bowman</li><li>Rep. <keyword id="338250" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Jerry-Nadler">Jerry Nadler</keyword></li><li>Rep. Hakeem Jeffries</li><li>Rep. Carolyn Maloney</li><li>Rep. Sean Maloney</li><li>Rep. Mondaire Jones</li><li>Rep. Yvette Clarke</li><li>Rep. Nydia Velazquez</li><li>Rep. Adriano Espaillat</li><li>Rep. Grace Meng</li></ul>Democratic Rep. Kathleen Rice previously called for Cuomo's resignation, saying in a March 1 tweet that "the time has come" for him to step down."This week, the second sexual assault allegation and the sixth harassment allegation was leveled against Governor Cuomo," Ocasio-Cortez and Bowman said in a joint statement Friday. "The fact that this latest report was so recent is alarming, and it raises concerns about the present safety and well-being of the administration's staff. These allegations have all been consistent and highly-detailed and there are also credible media reports substantiating their accounts.""Unfortunately, the Governor is not only facing the accusation that he engaged in a pattern of sexual harassment and assault," the statement continued. "There is also the extensive report from the Attorney General that found the Cuomo administration hid data on COVID-19 nursing home deaths from both the public and the state legislature."On Thursday, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cuomo-resignation-letter-59-democrats-state-legislature-carl-heastie-scandals-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">59 New York state lawmakers released a joint letter</a> demanding Cuomo's resignation. The letter came on the heels of a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/sixth-cuomo-accuser-alleges-he-aggressively-groped-her-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sexual misconduct allegation</a> from a sixth accuser, who reportedly told her supervisor that the governor "aggressively groped her in a sexually charged manner." The accuser is currently a staffer in Cuomo's office, according to the Albany Times Union, who first reported on her account.The woman's allegation was referred to the Albany police, which is now <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cuomo-sexual-harassment-albany-police-governors-mansion-sixth-accuser-report-2021-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">investigating the matter</a>, The New York Times reported. A spokesman for the police told The Times that the incident may rise "to the level of a crime."Impeachment is emerging as a possibility for the governor, with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-happens-if-cuomo-resigns-is-impeached-removed-from-office-2021-3">New York's process</a> closely mirroring that of the US Congress. If half of the Assembly and two-thirds of the Senate vote against him, Cuomo would be removed from office. However, one key difference between New York's impeachment proceedings and Congress's is that Cuomo would have to step aside during the trial as an acting governor takes his place. That would be Lt. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who would also become governor if Cuomo resigns.<a href="https://twitter.com/ShaneGoldmacher/status/1370405124762443776?s=20">Senate Democrats from Long Island came out with a statement</a> on Friday asking Cuomo to allow Hochul to serve as acting governor until New York Attorney General Tish James' investigation into the allegations is complete.Cuomo has <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cuomo-sexual-harassment-apology-briefing-2021-3">refused to resign</a>, and insists he "never touched anyone inappropriately."

AOC, Chuck Schumer, and 11 other NY lawmakers call for Gov. Andrew Cuomo's resignation amid 'alarming' sexual misconduct allegations

<ul class="summary-list"><li>An <keyword id="92179" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="inmate">inmate</keyword> who was in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, <keyword id="6355838" type="LOCATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="new-york">New York</keyword>, died after being pepper-sprayed by staff, local outlets reported.</li><li>The inmate, Jamel Floyd, was reportedly being disruptive and thought to be a danger to himself and others before authorities pepper-sprayed him and removed him from his cell. </li><li>Floyd was unresponsive after being pepper-sprayed and was pronounced dead at a hospital shortly after. </li></ul>An inmate who was in custody at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, died after being pepper-sprayed by staff, local outlets reported. <a href="https://twitter.com/NydiaVelazquez/status/1268384572733042690?s=20">Congresswoman Nydia Velázquez</a>, of New York's seventh district, said in a tweet that Jamel Floyd, a 35-year-old African-American inmate, had allegedly barricaded himself inside his cell and broke the cell door window with a metal object.Velázquez said her office would follow up on the incident and called for the prison to "maintain all security video footage of Mr. Floyd's unit for review."US Department of Justice officials confirmed the incident to <a href="https://www.pix11.com/news/local-news/brooklyn/brooklyn-inmate-dies-in-custody-after-being-pepper-sprayed-by-staff-doj">PIX11</a>, and a DOJ spokesperson told the local <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> outlet that the FBI and US Marshals Service were notified. On June 3, DOJ Inspector General Michael Horowitz released a <a href="https://oig.justice.gov/press/2020/2020-06-04a.pdf">statement</a> saying the OIG would be investigating the incident.According to PIX11, a spokesperson for the prison said Floyd "became increasingly disruptive," and added that there was a worry that he could harm himself or others. Floyd was then pepper-sprayed and removed from his cell. By the time the medical staff responded, he was unresponsive. EMS continued life-saving measures, and Floyd was eventually taken to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.The federal prison garnered criticism last February after inmates spent more than a week without heat during freezing temperatures, Business Insider <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/brooklyn-jail-with-no-heat-inmates-trapped-without-electricity-2019-2">previously reported.</a>At the time the facility held "more than 1,600 inmates and has been subject to freezing temperatures brought on by the <a href="https://www.insider.com/polar-vortex-end-temperatures-to-rise-2019-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">polar vortex</a> that froze the northeast over the week," Business Insider wrote. People passing by the prison saw inmates flashing lights and banging the windows of the facility, about a week after the issue was known. With the recent <keyword id="6355784" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="death">death</keyword> of the inmate, Velázquez called the prison unsafe. "Whether it is a loss of heat in the dead of winter, inadequate protection against the spread of COVID-19, or this most recent incident, it has become evident this institution is too often unsafe," she wrote. Director of Release Aging People in Prison, Jose Saldana, who spent 38 years in federal and state prisons and has been pepper-sprayed, told <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/04/us/jamel-floyd-brooklyn-prison-death-pepper-spray/index.html">CNN</a> he wants an independent investigation."Pepper spray, under normal circumstances, when it's used the way it's supposed to be used, is not supposed to be fatal," Saldana told CNN. "But when it's used excessively, it might trigger a heart attack or something else that may lead to someone dying. They had to have done something in addition to just giving a regular dose of pepper spray."According to The New York Post, while his cause of death was not immediately released, there no indication that this death was related to COVID-19.The first confirmed coronavirus case among inmates at federal prison occurred at this facility, the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/ap-exclusive-1st-fed-inmate-tests-positive-for-coronavirus-2020-3">Associated Press </a>previously reported.

An inmate at a federal prison in Brooklyn died after being pepper sprayed when officials say they thought he was a danger to himself

<ul class="summary-list"><li>President Donald <keyword id="6354862" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="trump">Trump</keyword> is expected to announce major disaster aid packages for <keyword id="124657" type="COUNTRY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Puerto-Rico">Puerto Rico</keyword> on Friday, <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidBegnaud/status/1306750974724374528">CBS reporter David Begnaud reported.</a></li><li>The package would come three years after <keyword id="5013069" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Hurricane-Maria">Hurricane Maria</keyword> destroyed much of the island. </li><li>Most of the money is expected to help rebuild the power grid that was destroyed in the hurricane.</li><li>Trump has previously stalled aid to the island and claimed the crisis was not so bad. </li></ul>President Donald Trump is expected to announce a major disaster aid package for Puerto Rico on Friday, <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidBegnaud/status/1306750974724374528">CBS reporter David Begnaud reported.</a>Begnaud reported that the package would be the largest disaster aid in US history. He reported that Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nydia Valesquez said a $10 billion package was approved to rebuild the Puerto Rico Electric Power grid after its destruction in Hurricane Maria three years ago. "Long before the hurricanes, Puerto Rico had a crumbling and dirty energy grid. After the storms utterly destroyed the grid, it created an opportunity to rebuild a cleaner, cheaper, and more resilient energy system but the Trump administration dithered and delayed and refused to deliver timely disaster aid for the people of Puerto Rico," Schumer said in a <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidBegnaud/status/1306798025512308738?s=20">statement</a>. "I will work with the Puerto Rican community to see that these long overdue and desperately needed funds are put to use in a wise wayThe announcement comes years after the hurricane destroyed much of the island and after Trump stalled on <keyword id="6374795" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="relief">relief</keyword> and even threw paper towels at the hurricane victims while visiting the battered island. "There's a lot of love in this room," <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-paper-towels-puerto-rico-2017-10">Trump said while throwing supplies at the group in a church in October 2017</a>. "Great crowd."After facing criticism for the move, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-defends-paper-towel-toss-puerto-rico-hurricane-maria-victims-2017-10">the president defended his actions.</a>"They had these beautiful, soft towels. Very good towels," Trump told former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, on the new Trinity Broadcasting Network show "Huckabee." "And I came in and there was a crowd of a lot of people. And they were screaming and they were loving everything. I was having fun, they were having fun. They said, 'Throw 'em to me! Throw 'em to me Mr. President!'"Trump then repeatedly claimed that the death count was far lower than reported and said the storm that tore through the island and killed an <a href="https://www.insider.com/hurricane-maria-recovery-photos-years-later-2019-8">estimated 3,000 people</a> wasn't a "real catastrophe" like Hurricane Katrina.Hurricane Maria <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1029/2019GL082077">doused the island</a> with up to <a href="https://www.nhc.noaa.gov/data/tcr/AL152017_Maria.pdf">38 inches of rain</a> and brought winds up to 140 mph."What's out there is total devastation," San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/US/trumps-tweets-nfl-puerto-rico-debt-draw-ire/story?id=50096313">told ABC News</a> at the time. "Total annihilation. People literally gasping for air. I personally have taken people out and put them in ambulances because their generator has run out."In 2018, Trump claimed that his response administration's response was "unsung success" and "incredibly successful," despite being criticized by many for not doing enough and neglecting the US territory as it tried to recover. San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz has on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-puerto-rico-hurricane-response-unsung-success-deaths-maria-2018-9">multiple occasions directly blamed Trump</a> for additional deaths. "The administration killed the Puerto Ricans with neglect. The Trump administration led us to believe they were helping when they weren't up to par, and they didn't allow other countries to help us," <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/29/politics/san-juan-mayor-carmen-yulin-cruz-death-toll-cnntv/index.html">Cruz told CNN in late August</a>. "Shame on President Trump. Shame on President Trump for not even once ... just saying, 'Look, I grieve with the people of Puerto Rico.'"After <keyword id="6355005" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="news">news</keyword> of the potential new relief packages, Rep. Valesquez released a statement suggesting that the move is political and noted how the announcement comes just a few weeks before the November presidential election. "Puerto Rico has been desperate for federal assistance to modernize and upgrade its electrical grid for years especially since Hurricane Maria inflicted the longest blackout in modern history on the island. Yet, as is too often the case with Puerto Rico, the Trump administration delayed, dragged its feet, and resisted allocating these badly needed funds," Velazquez <a href="https://twitter.com/DavidBegnaud/status/1306767277384232960?s=20">wrote</a>. The White House declined to comment. <ul class="read-more-links"><li>Read more:</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-puerto-rico-katrina-hurricane-maria-2017-9">TRUMP'S KATRINA? After mounting criticism, Trump is ramping up the response effort in 'literally destroyed' Puerto Rico</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-defends-paper-towel-toss-puerto-rico-hurricane-maria-victims-2017-10">Trump defends throwing 'beautiful, soft' paper towel rolls into crowd of hurricane victims in Puerto Rico</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/hurricane-maria-recovery-photos-years-later-2019-8">20 photos show Puerto Rico's slow recovery 2 years after Hurricane Maria</a></li><li> </li></ul>

The White House is expected to announce massive disaster relief for Puerto Rico 3 years after Trump tossed paper towels to survivors of Hurricane Maria

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image">Alex Wong/Getty ImagesNew York Senator Kirsten Gillibrand.</div></div></div><ul class="summary-list"><li>Senator Kirsten Gillibrand from New York has shifted her position on immigration, deportation, and the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency many times during her political career. </li><li>Gillibrand, who recently announced an exploratory committee for a 2020 run, said in 2006 that she supported "the removal of illegal aliens by expanding detention capacity and increasing the number of Federal District Court judges."</li><li>She has previously said she is "ashamed" of her old positions, but the record of them might hurt her in the upcoming race against other progressive Democrats. </li></ul>Senator Kirsten Gillibrand from New York, who recently announced an exploratory committee for a 2020 run, has dramatically shifted her views on immigration and deportation in the last ten years of her career. When she first ran for the House of Representatives in 2006, Gillibrand said securing the US-Mexico border was a "national security priority." A year later, she said the borders had to be closed in order to "right size" immigration, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/17/politics/gillibrand-kfile-immigration/index.html">according to CNN</a>. And in 2008, a mailer sent from her office touted her efforts to expedite deportations "by expanding detention capacity and increasing the number of Federal District Court judges." Gillibrand has taken back some of her previous positions, saying she's ashamed of her opinions back then. "I came from a district that was 98% white. We have immigrants, but not a lot of immigrants. And I hadn't really spent the time to hear those kind of stories about what's it like to worry that your dad could be taken away at any moment," she <a href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/senator-kirsten-gillibrand-the-metoo-senator/">told</a> CBS in 2018. "I just didn't take the time to understand why these issues mattered because it wasn't right in front of me. And that was my fault. It was something that I'm embarrassed about and I'm ashamed of" Read more: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kirsten-gillibrand-running-for-president-2020-2019-1">New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand announces she's running for president in 2020</a> On Wednesday, Gillibrand was once again forced to reckon with her past positions, especially now that she's set to run in a crowded field of Democrats, many of them progressive left-wing politicians who have supported the idea of abolishing the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement agency. "I was callous to the suffering of families who want to be with their loved ones, people who want to be reunited with their families," Gillibrand told Rachel Maddow on Wednesday after the MSNBC host pushed her on her past views on immigration. "And so, looking back, I just really regretted that I didn't look beyond my district." On Tuesday, shortly after she announced her bid for the presidency, the Republican National Committee issued a statement labeling her an opportunist for her shifts on immigration and ICE. "If you looked up 'political opportunism' in the dictionary, Kirsten Gillibrand's photo would be next to it," wrote RNC Spokesman Michael Ahrens in a statement. "From jumping on the 'abolish ICE' bandwagon to turning on the Clintons, Gillibrand always goes where the political wind blows. Democrats know it, which is why she's barely registering in the polls."Meredith Kelly, communications director for Gillibrand's exploratory committee, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2019/01/17/politics/gillibrand-kfile-immigration/index.html">told</a> CNN that Gillibrand has "been a steadfast and compassionate advocate for immigrants" since she joined the US Senate. Among other controversial measures regarding immigration, Gillibrand co-sponsored the SAVE Act, a House bill that would have made it easier to deport undocumented immigrants and would've required companies to verify the status of their workers. She also opposed giving drivers licenses to undocumented immigrants. CNN also reported that she frequently voted for or supported legislation that would've increased border fencing and technology. Back then, her votes frequently aligned with Republicans and other moderate Democrats. Her views on immigration back then, CNN reported, earned her a B rating from the conservative, anti-immigration group Numbers USA. Gillibrand's ascension to the Senate meant she was now representing a large and diverse population - in 2014, New York was among the top five states home to <a href="http://www.pewhispanic.org/interactives/unauthorized-immigrants/">undocumented immigrants</a>. Her election caused backlash from New York-based immigration activists. She began meeting with immigration groups and, according to CNN, began softening her position.Rep. Nydia Velazquez, a New York Democrat and former chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, told CNN that while she is not endorsing a candidate yet, she considers Gillibrand a friend and witnessed the "meaningful evolution of her thinking on immigration" over a decade ago. "Very shortly after becoming senator, she reached out to me directly and we had multiple conversations where she listened, learned, and demonstrated genuine compassion for what families across New York have experienced from our broken immigration system. Since then, she's been a fighter and a tireless ally on these issues who I deeply value," Velazquez told CNN. In the last 10 years, Gillibrand has co-sponsored the DREAM act, slammed Trump's immigration policies and visited detention facilities in the southern border. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/msnbc-host-chris-hayes-president-trump-china-trade-war-2018-12">MSNBC host Chris Hayes thinks President Trump's stance on China is 'not at all crazy'</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

Here's how presidential hopeful Kirsten Gillibrand went from pushing for more deportations to wanting to abolish ICE

<div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table lead-image-large"><div><div class="image on-image">Screenshot/NYC DSANew York State Senate candidate Julia Salazar</div></div></div><ul><li>New York state senate candidate Julia Salazar is under fire after her mother and brother disputed her accounts of being raised in a working-class, immigrant family. </li><li>While Salazar has said she was brought to the US as baby from Colombia, her family says she never lived in Colombia, and that she has exaggerated her stories of socio-economic hardship. </li><li>The 27-year-old Democratic socialist has attracted a series of positive media profiles after progressive insurgent Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - and other top state Democrats - endorsed her. </li></ul>New York state senate candidate Julia Salazar, an insurgent progressive endorsed by fellow Democratic socialist <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-won-beat-joe-crawley-2018-6">Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez</a>, is under fire after her mother and brother disputed her accounts of being raised in a working-class, immigrant family. Salazar, 27, has provided confusing and sometimes contradictory descriptions of her background, including that she was partially raised in Colombia by a single mother who at times struggled to make ends meet - a story her brother, Alex, and mother, Christine, rebutted <a href="https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/politics/new-york-city/julia-salazar-brother-mother-question-claims.html">in a recent City &amp; State story</a>. "My family immigrated to the US from Colombia when I was a baby, and my mom ended up raising my brother and me as a single mom, without a college degree, and from a working-class background," Salazar <a href="https://www.jacobinmag.com/2018/07/julia-salazar-interview-socialist-new-york-senate">told Jacobin</a> last month.Salazar later said that she was raised <a href="https://twitter.com/SalazarSenate18/status/1032846099709669376">between Florida and Colombia</a> and spent "the first years" of her life in the South American country. But Alex, who is two years older than Salazar, says the two were raised entirely in Florida and that the family made just a handful of trips back to the South American country to visit family. He also disputed her claims that the family struggled financially. "We were very much middle class. We had a house in Jupiter along the river, it was in a beautiful neighborhood," Alex Salazar told City &amp; State. "I feel very strongly about my family and I want to tell the truth."Alex provided a photo of the large Florida home he says the family lived in until their parents divorced in 1998. While Salazar's father was born and raised in Colombia, he became a naturalized US citizen in 1984, several years before his daughter was born. Christine was born and raised in the US and told City &amp; State that she never lived in Colombia.Christine also told City &amp; State that there was never a time when her children worked in order to help their mother "make ends meet," as Salazar claims on her campaign website."My kids always worked, from the time they were 14. I encouraged that because I thought there was a lot of value in that in terms of learning and responsibility so that was the purpose behind them having part-time jobs … not the light bill," Christine told the outlet. Salazar has also claimed that she was raised "by a single mom without a college degree," but Florida Atlantic University told City &amp; State that Salazar's mother received a bachelor's degree in psychology from the school in 1999, when Salazar was in elementary school.Some progressives - and conservative critics - have also called attention to Salazar's past as a Zionist, anti-abortion conservative who <a href="https://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/269094/who-is-julia-salazar">reportedly falsely identified herself</a> as a Jew while a student at Columbia University. Salazar is running as a more progressive alternative to state Sen. Martin Dilan in her Brooklyn district and has attracted a <a href="https://theintercept.com/2018/07/03/julia-salazar-state-senate-new-york-dsa/">series</a> of <a href="http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/07/meet-julia-salazar-a-dsa-candidate-for-ny-state-senate.html">positive</a> media profiles and seen a dramatic spike in donations and volunteers since Ocasio-Cortez's primary victory in June. And she's been endorsed by a slew of top progressives in the state, including gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon, attorney general candidate Zephyr Teachout, and Brooklyn congresswoman Nydia Velazquez. <div class="margin-top"> <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/americans-want-tiny-small-japanese-sports-kei-car-autozam-az1-2018-7">Why Americans want this tiny Japanese sports car</a></h3> <div> </div> </div>

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