Families and communities—not corporations—urgently need support

The last COVID-19 relief bill was signed into law in April, and many of the measures it included to support struggling families and small businesses—such as extending and increasing unemployment benefits—are about to or have already expired. The same is the case with the moratoriums on evictions and power shutoffs that were put into place in hundreds of cities and states. Meanwhile, unemployment is still at historic levels, and thousands of small businesses are on the brink as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to worsen. Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other people of color have been impacted the most.
 
While the House of Representatives passed the HEROES Act back in May, the Senate has failed to take up a new relief package—until this week. Now that our Senators have returned from recess, we must push them to support families and communities by providing immediate relief with a focus on the communities that are most impacted.
 
The pandemic and our so far inadequate federal response have thrown tens of millions of people out of work, and many are struggling to afford food and housing and access healthcare. The relief packages that have been passed to date have not gone far enough and have left too many people out, especially immigrants and communities of color that have been hardest hit by both the virus and the economic fallout.
 
Contact your senators today and ask them to take immediate action to pass an equitable COVID-19 relief and recovery bill that meets the needs of families and communities. You can copy and paste text from the talking points below.
 
The next relief bill must:

• Prioritize direct support to individuals, families, and communities that need it most—not to corporations. We need to make sure people are able to meet their basic needs during this devastating economic crisis. Individuals, families, and communities need immediate economic assistance, food assistance, and policies that will support their ability to take care of their own health, such as paid sick leave. They also need to be able to access timely COVID-19 testing and treatment.  Learn more from the Center for Law and Social Policy (CLASP).
   
• Support Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and other people of color communities. In addition to economic and health assistance, we need policies that will reverse the disproportionate impact of the coronavirus on communities of color and position those communities to be able to achieve a just and equitable recovery. The Movement for Black Lives’ National Demands for COVID-19 include supporting essential workers—43% of whom are people of color; protecting voters—especially Black voters, who are being targeted for disenfranchisement; and releasing people from jails, prisons, and detention centers.
   
• Provide direct funding for state and local governments: State and local governments are staring down enormous budget deficits after having stepped up to meet their residents’ needs during this crisis. Without federal assistance, they will have to cut health and social services, education, environmental protection, and other crucial programs. Cities and states are on the frontline of our country’s response to COVID-19, and we can’t afford to let them to go bankrupt as they try to meet their residents’ needs during this crisis. Visit the National League of Cities for more information.
   
• Protect immigrant families during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic: The laws that Congress has enacted so far to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic have excluded immigrants and their families—a tragic slight that has left all of us more vulnerable. The next COVID-19 health and stimulus bill needs to work for immigrants, including making sure everyone can access COVID-19 testing, treatment, and emergency assistance regardless of immigration status. Learn more by visiting Protecting Immigrant Families.

We need Congress to ensure that everyone, regardless of where they were born and what community they call home, has access to economic support, healthcare, and other resources they need to weather this pandemic and move toward recovery. Please take action today—and  share this email with colleagues, friends, and family members. Your senators need to hear from you now.
 

*Photo credit: Carnaval San Francisco, which coordinates the Mission Food Hub.