03.26.2020

WASHINGTON -- Yesterday, the Senate unanimously passed a $2.2 trillion stimulus package to respond to the coronavirus crisis.

Ana Maria Archila, co-executive director of the Center for Popular Democracy, reacted to the legislation and the needs still unmet with the following statement:

“In this time of crisis, the Senate has taken a needed step in responding to the biggest public health and economic emergency our country has faced in more than a generation. Senate Democrats led the change and proved their ability to act, amidst obfuscation from President Trump and Republicans who care more about corporate profits than human life. This bill is a start, but our communities need and deserve more. We are disappointed that corporations get $500 billion, while immigrants get cut out of health provisions or economic relief. We are disappointed that hospitals got bail outs, but hospital workers are left in the dark.

“In this bill, House Democrats need to fight for debt cancellation, a moratorium on evictions, foreclosures and shut offs. We need to ensure that everyone in our country, regardless of immigration status, gets financial relief for the duration of this crisis. 

“The relief cannot stop here. In the next stimulus plan, we want to see funding for us, for the people. Not for corporations. We want to see a package that supports a dramatic reduction in the number of people detained in jails, prisons and immigration detention facilities, and financial resources to protect the health of those who remain incarcerated. We want to see healthcare, cash payments, and unemployment benefits that all people, regardless of immigration status, can benefit from. We want to see billions in additional funding for states to prepare for the 2020 elections to ensure safety, fairness, and inclusion. The next government intervention must focus on the vital resources that we all need to live  -- paid sick and family leave, free treatment for anyone impacted by COVID-19, and election protection mechanisms so we can have access to our elections. 

“We need a massive investment into a healthcare system that is not driven by profit. We need to enroll COVID-19 patients into Medicare. We need to create medicine at home at the NIH to protect us from the shortages that we are now facing. 

“We need to center the voices of gig economy workers, of immigrants and people who are incarcerated, of domestic workers and small business owners in conversations about a just recovery. Our families are suffering. We will not allow Congress to sit idly by.”

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Media Contact: Lia Weintraub, lweintraub@populardemocracy.org, 202-618-2482