COURIER L 12 IFE, AUG. 28-SEPT. 3, 2020
CHECKIN’ IN WITH:
Congressman
Max Rose
BY MEAGHAN MCGOLDRICK
Max Rose is a U.S. Representative
currently serving Staten Island and
southern Brooklyn.
To celebrate the relaunch
of the Bay
Ridge Courier, we’re
“checkin’ in” with
each of the area’s representatives
to discuss
a topic of their choosing.
This week, we
caught up with Rose
about the ongoing coronavirus
pandemic —
and how New York
City can take the lead
when it comes to safely
reopening.
Brooklyn Paper:
What kind of position
do you think
Congressman Max Rose. Max Rose’s
offi ce
New York City is in right now when
it comes to the pandemic?
Max Rose: I think that New York
City is in a position where we can show
the rest of the country how to succeed
and how to safely reopen, but that
means that we’ve got to take the lead.
That includes developing testing and
most certainly increasing the availability
of Personal Protective Equipment.
Conversely, we also have to continue
the process of reopening and that includes
indoor dining — albeit not fully,
fi gure about 50 percent capacity — but
it’s about making sure that we are supporting
our businesses throughout the
process. That also means listening to
our teachers and other professionals as
it pertains to school reopening.
New York City can get this right, and
if we get this right, we can show the rest
of the country how to move forward.
BP: What are some of the ways
you’ve worked to get your constituents
through the pandemic?
MR: I deployed to the National
Guard at the height of the pandemic,
and when I got back I was able to get the
city’s fi rst drive-through testing site in
my district, for my constituents. I also
worked with the The Department of
Veterans Affairs to open up VA hospital
facilities to non-veterans, hoping to
provide more New Yorkers with access
to healthcare during the pandemic. I’ve
continued to fi ght for more PPE for our
hospitals and for our non-profi ts, and
most importantly, I was able to fi ght for
more resources for New York City in
Washington, DC.
But the fi ght is not done yet. We can’t
spike the football. We’re still in the
throes of this pandemic and it has certainly
proven that it is not done with us
yet. There are far too many people suffering
not just health-wise but economically
to pretend we’re done with this
BP: What other types of support
do you feel New York City needs to
survive the pandemic?
MR: Aside from
our local businesses
and the hospitality
industry, we’ve been
fi ghting for our youth
sports programs.
We’ve got to make
sure that they’re getting
access to the government
programs
they need to add capital.
At the same time
we have to make
sure restaurant owners
and our other
small business owners
have what they need as well.
And of course, nothing is more important
right now than state and local
money. I don’t want to see our cops, our
teachers, our sanitation workers laid
off. Nothing is more important than a
signifi cant capital infusion on the state
and local level for us. That, of course,
comes the addition of resources — and
from leadership from the White House.
And then I think that we need to
look at testing. We have a right to a vaccine
— that is irreplaceable — but in
the absence of a vaccine, if we were able
to build out a system that tests every
single American once a week, we will
be able to beat this in ways that other
places can’t. Only the federal government
can do that.
BP: Looking beyond COVID-19 relief
efforts, what else have you and
your offi ce homed in on over the
course of the last few months?
MR: While Staten Island feels like
the forgotten borough, South Brooklyn
often feels like it’s the forgotten part of
this district — well not anymore. And it
doesn’t matter big or small, I’ll fi ght for
South Brooklyn. That’s why I’m proud to
have secured millions for bus upgrades in
Brooklyn, after years of inaction fi nally
got the mayor to install guardrails on
the Belt Parkway, reunited families torn
apart by the Muslim Ban, and secured
millions in benefi ts for my constituents.
It’s also why when Con Edison failed miserably
in the aftermath of Tropical Storm
Isaias, I was on the front lines in Dyker
Heights where trees were fallen, trapping
people in their homes for over 24 hours
without power until Con Edison fi nally
heard our calls and showed up.
This conversation has been edited
for brevity. For the full interview, visit
BrooklynPaper.com.
/BrooklynPaper.com