Media

By Victoria Merlino

The Queens Chamber of Commerce and a group of Queens congressmembers connected with the borough's small business community Tuesday, providing resources, relief information and words of encouragement amid the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

U.S. Reps. Gregory Meeks, Grace Meng, Carolyn Maloney, Hakeem Jeffries and Tom Suozzi joined more than 150 small businesses on a conference call to explain the $2 trillion coronavirus relief package passed by Congress and signed by President Donald Trump last month.

The novel coronavirus pandemic has Americans across the country fearful for their personal health and well-being, but for Asian Americans, the virus has stirred up another threat: a wave of verbal and physical attacks.

Jeff Yang experienced what he calls his own "breathing while Asian" moment last week while shopping at his local grocery store in Los Angeles. Even as the host of a podcast about being Asian in America, Yang says he was taken aback when a woman leaving the store noticed him — the only Asian in line — and started shouting profanities.

Congresswoman Grace Meng announced on Monday that the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is working to distribute coronavirus relief payments that are being made available under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act.

The relief package, which was recently passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump, will provide payments of up to $1,200 per adult and $500 per child to help many taxpayers with the financial burden that they are experiencing due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.