THE LONG GAME: GOP vs. Cheney; House to help Pregnant Moms at work
House GOP members are poised to oust Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) from her leadership position this week. The widening chasm between Cheney and her colleagues stems from her refusal to support lies told by former President Donald Trump and his allies about the 2020 election. Cheney, who published an op-ed in the Washington Post last week in which she warned that the GOP’s embrace of Trump “will do profound long-term damage to our party and our country,” is expected to be stripped of her role as House Republican Conference Chair as early as Wednesday. In her place, GOP members plan to elevate Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who proved her loyalty to Trump by echoing false assertions about the 2020 election. The tipping point came when Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), the minority leader, was caught on an open microphone saying, “I’ve had it with her.” Ironically, Stefanik’s voting record is considerably less conservative than Cheney’s. However, in the current atmosphere, unbending devotion to Trump far outweighs any Republican policy considerations. The House returns this week with a belated Mother’s Day gift to expectant moms. Members will take up the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA), sponsored by Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) and Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA). A similar bill passed the House with overwhelming support last fall. Under the legislation, private sector employers with more than 15 employees and public sector employers must make reasonable accommodations for pregnant workers. In addition, pregnant workers cannot be denied employment opportunities, retaliated against for requesting a reasonable accommodation, or forced to take paid or unpaid leave if another reasonable accommodation is available. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced its support for the PWFA, calling it “a balanced approach to protecting the rights of pregnant employees and the interests of employers.”
Washington Watch is published weekly when Congress is in session. Published monthly during extended recess or adjournment.
Spotlight on Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico coronavirus statistics for May 10
According to the Puerto Rico Health Department, 256,466 people are believed to have been infected with COVID-19, an increase of 6,036 since May 3. This points to a continuing decrease in the rate of new cases. The death toll is currently 2,374, with 59 of those registered in the last week. Comparatively, 50 people died from the virus between April 26 and May 3.
Beginning on November 7, the Health Department changed the way it recorded cases, splitting them between confirmed cases (as determined by molecular diagnostic testing), probable cases (as determined by antigen testing) and suspicious cases (as determined by serological, non-diagnostic testing). Viewed through that prism, Puerto Rico has had 119,494 confirmed cases, 16,049 probable cases, and 120,923 suspicious cases since the virus arrived on the Island. There are currently 305 people hospitalized due to COVID, a decrease of 84 since last week.
Governor Pedro Pierluisi tweeted on Sunday that Puerto Rico passed the milestone of 1,000,000 people being fully vaccinated. However, according to El Nuevo Día, this claim was not backed by any official sources. In fact, according to the CDC on the Island, the number of fully vaccinated Puerto Rico residents was 910,956. According to the Puerto Rico Electric Immunization System (PREIS), used by the Puerto Rico Health Department to collate data regarding the virus, 936,015 people completed their vaccinations by the time Pierluisi made his claim; while the Health Department estimated that there were some 165,519 vaccinations yet to be recorded in the system, it was not clear how many of those represented first vaccines and how many represented final vaccinations.
One obstacle to full vaccination is the fact that many people between the ages of 19 to 40 have not been vaccinated—not necessarily because of fear, but rather due to a lack of time, access, or both. A high number of individuals, experts note, fail to keep their appointments to obtain the second shot.
Murder of two young women is latest reminder of Puerto Rico’s gender-based violence crisis
Earlier this year, Governor Pedro Pierluisi declared a state of emergency on the Island relating to its current wave of gender-based violence. The topic has remained on the public consciousness, and has shaped a debate on introducing a gender perspective to educational curricula. The crisis was bought to the forefront this month by the stories of Keishla Rodríguez Ortiz, a 27-year-old woman who was found murdered days after being reported missing, and of Andrea Ruiz Costas, a woman who had been murdered by her former partner despite her attempts to obtain legal protection against him.
However, it is not only cis women who are placed at risk by gender-based violence. As reported by USA Today, Puerto Rico is also a hotspot for transphobic violence, with six trans people killed in the Island in 2020, out of 44 in the United States as a whole. Of these cases, only one resulted in an arrest, and that was carried out by federal, not local, authorities.
Puerto Rico House of Representatives hits the brakes on LUMA contract
Rafael “Tatito” Hernández, Speaker of the Puerto Rico House of Representatives, presented a new obstacle to the approval of the contract to allow the energy contractor LUMA Energy to manage the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority (PREPA). Last week, the legislator sent a letter to the Financial Oversight and Management Board (FOMB) indicating that the House of Representatives would not approve any joint resolution allowing LUMA Energy to begin operations, at least until the numerous concerns associated with the contract are resolved. The employees' union, UTIER, has called for a strike tomorrow.
On April 27, the House of Representatives was tasked with providing the FOMB with a special budget including $750 million, required in the LUMA contract and drawn from the General Fund. This budget had been due on the day Rep. Hernández sent the FOMB his letter, which claimed that the contract worked “against the best interest of Puerto Rico’s government and people.” Although the LUMA Contract to restructure PREPA has been a source of controversy in Puerto Rico, it was ultimately certified by Judge Laura Taylor Swain on May 3.
View From The White House
As part of the administration’s effort to vaccinate 70 percent of the adult population by July 4 and to bridge the digital divide, the White House launched a new hotline (1-800-232-0233) for people who prefer to get information over the telephone.
The administration released a report Thursday outlining the President’s so-called “30 x 30” plan, Biden’s goal of protecting 30 percent of the nation’s land and ocean territory by 2030.
In the wake of a federal judge’s decision striking down the national moratorium on evictions, the Treasury Department on Friday issued new rules to help tenants gain access to $46 billion in aid, which covers costs like moving expenses and hotel stays, and expands legal aid.
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