‘This Is Atrocious’: Trump White House Proposes Covid Relief Plan With $0 Weekly Unemployment Boost 

‘This Is Atrocious’: Trump White House Proposes Covid Relief Plan With $0 Weekly Unemployment Boost

“The president’s proposal starts by cutting the unemployment insurance proposal being discussed by bipartisan members of the House and Senate. That is unacceptable.”

By Jake Johnson

The Trump White House late Tuesday tossed into the middle of ongoing coronavirus relief negotiations a $916 billion proposal that includes one-time $600 stimulus payments in the place of a weekly boost to federal unemployment benefits, a trade-off that Democratic lawmakers and economic analysts immediately rejected as unconscionable.

Offered as Democratic and Republican negotiators are racing to strike a relief deal before year’s end, the White House plan would provide $40 billion for an extension of federal unemployment programs set to expire on December 26—but no increase in weekly benefits, despite the dire state of the economy.

“We gave the biggest help to those who needed it. The Republicans would send one $600 check and that’s it. This is atrocious.”
—Rep. Don Beyer

The Trump administration’s unemployment insurance plan, put forth by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, falls well short of a bipartisan framework that calls for $180 billion in funding to boost unemployment benefits by $300 per week through March.

“The president’s proposal starts by cutting the unemployment insurance proposal being discussed by bipartisan members of the House and Senate from $180 billion to $40 billion,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said in a joint statement. “That is unacceptable.”

As a substitute for the lack of a weekly unemployment boost, the White House proposed a round of direct stimulus payments amounting to $600 per adult and $600 per child.

By contrast, the $2.2 trillion CARES Act that Congress approved in March sent one-time payments of $1,200 per adult and $500 per child to most U.S. households, on top of a $600-per-week unemployment supplement that proved remarkably successful until Republicans allowed it to lapse at the end of July.

“We gave the biggest help to those who needed it,” Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.) said of the CARES Act. “The Republicans would send one $600 check and that’s it. This is atrocious.”

Andrew Stettner, a senior fellow at The Century Foundation, noted that “unemployed workers are going thousands in dollars in debt on paltry benefits.”

“Stimulus checks are not a substitute,” said Stettner, a sentiment echoed by other analysts.

With hiring slowing sharply as coronavirus infections rise nationwide, economists have warned that failure to approve a weekly unemployment boost would heighten the misery already being felt by tens of millions of people across the U.S. According to recent data, around 20 million Americans are currently receiving some form of unemployment insurance, 26 million are struggling to afford enough food, and 40 million could face eviction in the near future.

“The expiration of vital pandemic unemployment insurance (UI) benefits on December 26 will leave 12 million workers without a safety net, and over four million others will have already exhausted their benefits by this cutoff,” Elise Gould, senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute, wrote in a blog post last week. “This spells trouble not only for workers and their families who are desperately trying to keep a roof over their heads and put food on the table—especially with the eviction moratorium also set to expire on December 31—but also for the recovery itself.”

“The longer Congress waits to act, the more permanent damage will be done to American families and the overall economy.”
—Dr. Mark Paul, Dr. Adam Hersh

In addition to being dramatically less ambitious than the CARES Act, the White House’s new proposal and the bipartisan plan embraced as a starting point by Democratic leaders are both a far cry from the kind of bold stimulus that experts say is needed to prevent a prolonged recession and ensure a just recovery.

A paper (pdf) authored by economists Dr. Mark Paul and Dr. Adam Hersh and released Tuesday by the Groundwork Collaborative estimates that “Congress needs to provide economic relief of between $3-4.5 trillion in the short-term in order to get American families and businesses working at their full potential.”

“This would include continuing to expand eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits, renewing the $600 weekly supplemental benefits, providing fiscal aid to offset budgetary pressures on state, local, and tribal governments, renewal and better management of the Paycheck Protection Program for small businesses, and resources to expand Covid testing and tracing and health insurance subsidies, among other measures,” the economists wrote.

“The longer Congress waits to act,” they warned, “the more permanent damage will be done to American families and the overall economy, and the harder it will be for the U.S. economy to regain prosperity.”

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Source: ‘This Is Atrocious’: Trump White House Proposes Covid Relief Plan With $0 Weekly Unemployment Boost | Common Dreams News

 

 

Sanders Leads Senate Demand for $1,200 Stimulus Checks Over ‘Get-Out-of-Jail Free Card’ for Corporations 

Sanders Leads Senate Demand for $1,200 Stimulus Checks Over ‘Get-Out-of-Jail Free Card’ for Corporations

“The American people need help and they need help now.”

By Jake Johnson

Rejecting the bipartisan coronavirus relief plan currently under negotiation on Capitol Hill as “totally inadequate,” Sen. Bernie Sanders and five Democratic senators circulated a letter Tuesday calling on their fellow lawmakers to join them in demanding the inclusion of another round of direct stimulus payments and the removal of all corporate-friendly poison pills.

“Simply stated, given the horrific extent of the current crisis and the desperation that working families all over this country are experiencing, this proposal does not go anywhere near far enough,” reads the letter (pdf), which was coordinated by Sanders and backed by Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Ed Markey (D-Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.).

“Please join us in demanding that any new Covid relief proposal includes a $1,200 direct payment to adults and $500 to their children.”
—Letter

Noting that the bipartisan plan only calls for $348 billion in new funding—a far cry from the $2.2 trillion CARES Act Congress approved in March—and includes a “get-out-of-jail free card to companies that put the lives of their workers and customers at risk,” the senators warn it “would be unacceptable to take a major step backwards” as coronavirus cases, hospitalizations, and deaths surge nationwide and economic conditions continue to deteriorate.

“Unlike the CARES Act… this proposal only provides a $300 supplement for unemployed workers rather than $600 a week,” the lawmakers note. “Further, unlike the $1,200 direct payment for every working class individual and $500 for each child, it provides absolutely no direct payment.”

The White House is urging Senate Republicans to push for the inclusion of $600 stimulus checks in the relief bill, the Washington Post reported Tuesday.

“The American people need help and they need help now,” the senators’ letter continues. “We agree with President-elect Biden that a $1,200 direct payment should be included in this proposal. We also feel strongly that we should not provide immunity to corporations who endanger the health and lives of their employees. Please join us in demanding that any new Covid relief proposal includes a $1,200 direct payment to adults and $500 to their children. Further, please work with us to make certain that there is no language in this bill to give a liability shield to corporations.”

Growing progressive criticism of the bipartisan stimulus proposal first unveiled last week comes as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s (R-Ky.) demand for a five-year liability shield for corporations—a top priority of many congressional Republicans—is threatening to completely derail ongoing relief talks.

If lawmakers don’t pass a legislative fix before the end of the year, dozens of key federal programs—including unemployment insurance, paid sick and family leave, and an eviction moratorium—will expire, leaving millions of Americans in the lurch.

Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president at consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, said in a statement Tuesday that “unemployment insurance, aid for hospitals, and state and local assistance should not be held hostage to McConnell and the Senate Republicans’ quest for corporate immunity.”

“We are down to the wire as the opportunity to attach the stimulus to the end of year spending deal winds down,” Gilbert added. “Lawmakers should continue to reject any package that includes this deadly corporate giveaway and move with haste to finish the negotiations.”

Read the senators’ full letter:

 

Dear Colleague:

As you know, the Covid-19 pandemic is surging throughout the country and is now causing more pain and havoc than at any time since it began. Last week, an average of almost 200,000 Americans a day were diagnosed with Covid-19 and, tragically, over 2,000 people are now dying every single day.

Further, as a result of the pandemic, we are now experiencing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression. Over half of our workers are living paycheck to paycheck and one out of four workers are either unemployed or make less than $20,000 a year. In addition, 92 million Americans are uninsured or under-insured, tens of millions of people face eviction and hunger in America is exploding.

We very much appreciate the hard work that has gone into the current $908 billion proposal being drafted by a number of Democratic and Republican senators. But, simply stated, given the horrific extent of the current crisis and the desperation that working families all over this country are experiencing, this proposal does not go anywhere near far enough. In truth, rather than the $3.4 trillion which we Democrats called for in the HEROES Act, this bill only allocates $348 billion in new money according to one of the lead Republican negotiators. The remaining $560 billion are funds transferred from the CARES Act that have not yet been obligated.

Unlike the CARES Act, which we passed in March, this proposal only provides a $300 supplement for unemployed workers rather than $600 a week. Further, unlike the $1,200 direct payment for every working class individual and $500 for each child, it provides absolutely no direct payment.

Moreover, this proposal does nothing to address the healthcare crisis impacting tens of millions of Americans who cannot afford medical care and has totally inadequate financial assistance for the most vulnerable.

Further, despite long-time Democratic opposition, it is our understanding that this proposal may provide 100 percent legal immunity to corporations whose irresponsibility has led to the deaths of hundreds of workers. It would continue to provide a get-out-of-jail free card to companies that put the lives of their workers and customers at risk. In fact, the result of this proposal is that, through this liability provision, corporations will be encouraged to avoid implementing the common sense safety standards needed to protect workers and consumers—and make a bad situation worse.

We agree with the AFL-CIO and the 141 organizations who oppose providing this kind of immunity to corporations. According to a letter these groups sent to Senators on December 4th: “Granting immunity would make the country less safe at the exact moment when the Covid-19 pandemic is entering a new, dangerous phase.”

Last March, with unanimous support in Congress, President Trump signed the $2 trillion CARES Act into law that provided a $600 a week supplement in unemployment benefits and a $1,200 direct payment to every working class adult, $500 per child and significant help for small businesses, states and cities. In October, as part of the negotiating process, the Trump administration and a bipartisan coalition in the House supported over $1.8 trillion in Covid relief that also included another $1,200 direct payment.

Given the enormity of the crisis today, it would be unacceptable to take a major step backwards from those previous efforts by passing legislation that only included $348 billion in new money.

The American people need help and they need help now. We agree with President-elect Biden that a $1,200 direct payment should be included in this proposal. We also feel strongly that we should not provide immunity to corporations who endanger the health and lives of their employees.

Please join us in demanding that any new Covid-relief proposal includes a $1,200 direct payment to adults and $500 to their children. Further, please work with us to make certain that there is no language in this bill to give a liability shield to corporations who threaten the health and safety of workers and customers.

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Source: Sanders Leads Senate Demand for $1,200 Stimulus Checks Over ‘Get-Out-of-Jail Free Card’ for Corporations | Common Dreams News

 

‘They Pointed Guns at My Kids’: Outrage After Florida Cops Raid Home of Scientist Who Refused to Censor Covid-19 Data 

‘They Pointed Guns at My Kids’: Outrage After Florida Cops Raid Home of Scientist Who Refused to Censor Covid-19 Data

“DeSantis needs to worry less about what I’m writing about and more about the people who are sick and dying.”

By Julia Conley

Data scientist Rebekah Jones on Monday evening assured Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis that she would not stop reporting accurate information about the coronavirus pandemic in the state, despite a raid by state authorities at Jones’s home Monday morning which she says was aimed at silencing her. 

Jones shared a video of state police entering her home with guns drawn while her children and husband were upstairs, saying the authorities pointed the weapons at her family while executing a search warrant in regards to an unauthorized message that was allegedly sent by Jones to the state Department of Health (DOH). 

Jones, who says she was ousted from her job at the DOH in May after refusing to manipulate Covid-19 case numbers in order to gather public support for reopening the state economy, was accused of sending a message to her former DOH colleagues, calling on them to speak out about the DeSantis administration’s disinformation. 

“If DeSantis thought pointing a gun in my face was a good way to get me to shut up, he’s about to learn just how wrong he was,” Jones tweeted Monday night. “I’ll have a new computer tomorrow. And then I’m going to get back to work.”

The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said the agents seized several devices from Jones’ home as part of an investigation into a message she allegedly sent on November 10 using the state government’s communications platform.

The alleged message read, “Time to speak up before another 17,000 people are dead… You know this is wrong. You don’t have to be part of this. Be a hero. Speak out before it’s too late.”

In an interview Monday night with Chris Cuomo on CNN, Jones denied gaining access to the communications platform, saying she is “not a hacker.”

 

“Pretty sure if I was gonna go through the trouble of learning how to hack, then hacking DOH of all places, I’d be damn sure to get the death count right,” she added in an interview with MSNBC. At the time the alleged text was sent, 17,460 people in Florida had died of Covid-19, but the DOH reported 17,248 deaths. 

Jones told Cuomo that she has no reason to reach out to former colleagues at the DOH, saying, “I, better than anyone, know that people at DOH aren’t going to [come forward].”

“If they didn’t come out before, when I warned everybody that DeSantis would and eventually he did get people killed, they’re not going to come out now,” Jones said.

 

Before being reportedly pushed out of her job in May, Jones designed and managed the state’s Covid-19 dashboard. She told the press that she was ordered to”manually change data to drum up support for the plan to reopen” and said she was forced out when she refused.

At the time of her dismissal, 46,442 Floridians had been diagnosed with Covid-19 and 1,997 had died. More than 850 new cases were reported in the state as the DeSantis administration launched Phase 1 of its reopening, allowing fitness centers, retail stores, and restaurants to operate at 50% capacity.

Just over a month later, the state was forced to reverse some of its reopening plans as Covid-19 cases surged. 

Since leaving the DOH, Jones has been reporting daily cases in school districts across the U.S. at TheCovidMonitor.com. 

“DeSantis needs to worry less about what I’m writing about and more about the people who are sick and dying,” Jones told CNN on Monday. “Doing this to me will not stop me from reporting the data. Ever.”

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Source: ‘They Pointed Guns at My Kids’: Outrage After Florida Cops Raid Home of Scientist Who Refused to Censor Covid-19 Data | Common Dreams News