In New York, Governor Andrew Cuomo refused Thursday to commit to providing emergency relief to millions of undocumented immigrants living in New York, after California announced one-time payments of up to $1,000 per immigrant household.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo: “When you are broke, it would be irresponsible to do these things. I do hope and believe the federal government should have a more inclusive policy. All right, let’s do one” —

Josefa Velásquez: “For example, that undocumented immigrants, that there’s no shot” —

Gov. Andrew Cuomo: “Well, we’re looking at it, but we have real financial problems right now.”

Philip Alston, the U.N. special rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, said Thursday the United States needs to take dramatic action to prevent tens of millions of middle-class Americans from falling into poverty. He added, “Low-income and poor people face far higher risks from the coronavirus due to chronic neglect and discrimination, and a muddled, corporate-driven, federal response has failed them.”