‘Stop the Obstruction’: Malliotakis Sends Urgent Letter to Pelosi

Cortney O'Brien | December 15, 2020 6:00 PM

Nicole Malliotakis said she can't wait to be sworn into Congress to start working on behalf of New Yorkers. So she jumped the gun and sent an urgent message to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

"I cannot remain silent while the constituents of the 11th District of New York continue to suffer due to the actions, and inactions, of you and the majority," Malliotakis writes. "The COVID-19 pandemic has placed unimaginable hardships on families, small businesses and restaurants, across this great nation, but in Staten Island and Brooklyn we have been unable to start the recovery process due to arbitrary local restrictions, additional closures, and expired PPP funding."

And so she says it's not too much to ask to bring to the House floor the bipartisan bill that would funnel $130 billion in PPP funding to these struggling businesses.

I wrote to @SpeakerPelosi urging her to bring the bipartisan bill to the floor that would provide $130B in remaining #PPP funds to small businesses/restaurants, something I’ve been advocating for months. Our small businesses simply cannot wait any longer. It’s make or break time. pic.twitter.com/YZJl08SBSf
— Nicole Malliotakis (@NMalliotakis) December 15, 2020

Pelosi has stalled on COVID relief efforts dozens of times. It was only recently that she admitted she was obstructing the process to see what happened with the presidential election.

"How many more businesses have to shutter?" GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy asked. "How many more dreams have to be shattered? How many more people have to be laid off before Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats will act?"

Meanwhile, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is making matters worse. He left New Yorkers confused and frustrated by banning indoor dining in New York City. The governor himself admitted that indoor dining only accounted for 2 percent of the statewide transmissions. So why, New York restaurant owners wondered, are they being punished?