American Families Need Income During The Pandemic Trump Has Extended With His Early-- And Continuing-- Incompetence

Pramila Jayapal-- still moving the country forward

Yesterday, the Congressional Progressive Caucus let Pelosi know what they expect to be included in the next federal COVID-19 relief package. Although Pelosi was once a co-founder and active member of the caucus-- and although it's the biggest of the Democratic groupings in Congress-- Pelosi pays far more attention to what the Blue Dogs and New Dems want than what the mainstream of the Democratic Party wants. The letter, which was sent by CPC co-chairs Pramila Jayapal and Mark Pocan, identifies four key areas that should be prioritized in order to ensure a just, effective, and equitable response to the COVID-19 pandemic:

• Keeping people on payrolls
• Providing economic relief
• Protecting public health
• Safeguarding our elections

The letter also highlights three principles that should underpin all Democratic efforts on the COVID-19 crisis. Progressives want everyone, regardless of tax or immigration status, age or disability status, to be eligible for robust assistance. This including parity for tribal residents, U.S. territorial residents, and people living in the District of Columbia, all of whom conservatives always seen to disregard. Progressive also insist that financial assistance must last the duration of the crisis through automatic triggers that tie assistance to economic conditions. "Every action taken by Congress," wrote Jayapal and Pocan, "must address inequality and strengthens racial equity and economic equality."

J.D. Scholten, the progressive Democrat taking on Trumpist reactionary Steve King in Iowa feels strongly that the CPC is going in the right direction. "Our response," he told me yesterday, "should focus on what is essential and what is not. Our essential priorities must be the health and well-being of all people, especially our frontline workers; providing relief directly to people-- not CEOs; lifting up small businesses and nonprofits; and ensuring the safety of our elections. Steve King has been on the wrong side of this crisis since the beginning. He voted against the Families First Coronavirus Act that provides free coronavirus testing and paid leave, he consistently shares memes making light of this crisis, and he wants to publicly share the names, addresses, pre-existing conditions, and health status of every confirmed COVID-19 case. Sharing this personal information would endanger public safety and likely result in chaos, violence, and potentially, hate crimes."

Arizona progressive Eva Putzova still has a primary opponent, Blue Dog and "ex"-Republican Tom O'Halleran. She's In full agreement with the CPC COVID-19 relief proposals to Pelosi. She acknowledges "It is an effort to fully fund and support income, healthcare, housing, food, and other assistance to those millions of people who lost jobs, income, housing, food, and  health insurance from the pandemic shutdown. Naturally, my opponent, the incumbent, is not a signatory to this CPC appeal to the Speaker because he doesn't lead on anything. He sits back quietly and pursues small-bore reforms while the world is collapsing around us. We can no longer afford such a representative. We need bold, outspoken, and progressive leadership that fights for a future worth living in. When elected to Congress I will be that kind of leader."

Mike Siegel, the progressive candidate taking on Trump crony Michael McCaul inTexas' newly purple 10th district, has every intention of joining the CPC when he's elected. "Representatives Pocan and Jayapal," he told us, "are leading the way and articulating a progressive vision for how our government should take care of the people. Here in the Texas 10th we have a runoff July 14, and I'm the only candidate who supports this program including monthly cash assistance, student loan cancellation, an eviction and foreclosure moratorium, compassionate release of prisoners and detainees, and universal vote-by-mail. While my opponent has called programs like Medicare for All and a Green New Deal 'fools gold' and 'selling false hope,' I see these policies as an essential foundation for a more just, sustainable future. How we respond to this crisis could determine our collective future for decades to come. That's why it's so important that, in this moment, we keep fighting for a society that works for everyone."

Robin Wilt is a strong Berniecrat running for a congressional seat in the Rochester, NY area currently occupied by a hackish New Dem with nothing to offer. Robin told me she's grateful to the CPC "for assuming leadership in centering both the needs of people and equity as a guiding principle in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Quite the opposite of a first responder, my opponent has taken the sidelines, deferring to the local and state response to the pandemic and advising constituents to 'contact the New York State Department of Health and the Monroe County Department of Health with any questions or concerns.' In contrast, I believe these times demand true leadership in not only identifying and meeting constituent needs, but also in establishing the underlying principles that the governmental response to the crisis will follow. The CPC highlighted three guiding principles that I strongly support:

1 that everyone should be included in the relief package, regardless of immigration status
2 that people (not corporations) should be the primary beneficiaries of stimulus
3 that stimulus response must not exacerbate racial and economic disparities, but rather be grounded in equity

COVID-19 has exposed existing gaps in the country’s social safety net. An approach that fails to proactively address the disparities that rendered some of us more vulnerable to that system’s inadequacies, can only exacerbate those disparities. That my opponent has not stepped up to chart any course through the crisis, let alone an equitable, people-centered one, should disappoint us all as constituents. A public health crisis is no time to shy away from leadership. Members who have signed on to this letter have demonstrated the true leadership that Rochester and Monroe County deserve."

Tom Guild is also up against a conservative Democrat, in his case, an incumbent Blue Dog, Kendra Horn, one of the most Republican-allied Democrats in Congress. "My opponent," he said, "is very timid and incremental in her approach towards many issues. She tends to side with corporate Democrats in Congress and even worse, many times votes with the Republicans. Sometimes she is one of less than a handful of Democrats frequently voting with the GOP in the House. I fully support the proposal put forward by the Progressive Caucus. It is bold, comprehensive, and helps repair the safety net during the current national crisis. It puts people first and will help many families survive the current onslaught on their health, safety, and economic welfare. Since you can’t much improve on near perfection, I’m excited to endorse what our progressive congressional caucus has put forth. We are lucky to have dedicated and far sighted progressive leaders fighting for working people, economically disadvantaged Americans, and those who will have the most difficult time repairing the damage done to their lives and fortunes that were already hanging by a thread, and who now face devastation without quick and bold action to bring them the necessary assistance this progressive package provides."

You can read the whole CPC letter here. Right now I want to focus on just two very different goals-- ensuring safe elections and guaranteeing every America a paycheck during this Trump-created catastrophe. First off, people are worried about Trump's tendency towards authoritarianism and "winning" at all costs. That's why the CPC is insisting on including three ideas in the next relief bill that Pelosi should not disregard:

• Enact a vote-by-mail requirement for 2020 federal elections while maintaining access to in-person voting for those who do not have access to mail voting.
• Ensure the protection of voting rights through the passage of core pieces of the Voting Rights Advancement Act.
• Invest in state election integrity efforts by appropriating at least an additional $3.6 billion for state-administered elections.

Pramila Jayapal and Bernie introduced bicameral legislation guaranteeing paycheck continuity. Yesterday she told me that "We are in the middle of an unprecedented public health and economic crisis, and it is critical that Congress take bold action to prevent mass unemployment, provide immediate relief to those in need, protect public health and safeguard our elections. And in order to truly get through this pandemic, we have to ensure that relief lasts the duration of the crisis, that every single person has access to assistance and that every single action we takes strengthens-- not weakens-- racial equity and economic equality." Both her legislation and the CPC letter to Pelosi work to achieve exactly that.

The letter includes several clauses to prevent layoffs and protect paycheck continuity, including keeping small businesses (and nonprofits) alive:

• Improve the federal workshare program by allowing businesses in every state to fully participate, with no minimum employee limit, by reducing required work hours to allow small businesses to ramp back up and permitting additional hours to be covered by UI.
• Create a federal Paycheck Guarantee program for employers, including small businesses and nonprofits, to ensure all workers are protected and businesses can quickly return to normal after the emergency ends; with strong conditions for federal assistance.
• Ensure federal dollars flow to workers by strengthening industry bailout oversight through repealing waiver authority that override prohibitions on stock buybacks, dividends and compensation limits; providing subpoena power and independence for the newly-created Special Inspector General; respecting collective bargaining agreements, and ensuring strong reporting requirements on all funds; and by prohibiting the waiver of civil rights obligations on all funds.
• Provide expanded and monthly direct cash assistance of at least $2,000 per person to adults, plus $1,000 for children...
• Expand social safety net programs by expanding Earned Income Tax Credit & Child Tax Credit; waiving TANF work requirements; increasing maximum SNAP benefit by 15% and doubling the minimum monthly SNAP benefit to $30; and barring rules that would tighten eligibility for SNAP. Expand safe access to food by rapidly expanding the SNAP online purchasing program and allocating emergency funding for SNAP recipients to use for grocery delivery fees.
• Support small businesses by placing a moratorium on commercial evictions, limiting small business debt collection, and preventing predatory small business lending. Find more ways to address small business and nonprofit losses via grants and forgivable loans.

Pramila's PAYCHECK GUARANTEE ACT is meant to end mass layoffs, keep workers in their jobs and connected to their health care and other benefits, prevent employers of all sizes from being forced to close permanently, and ensure that the economy is ready to restart when the COVID-19 pandemic ends. Her initial House co-sponsors are Mark Pocan (D-WI), Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Brendan Boyle (D-PA), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT), Barbara Lee (D-CA), and Andy Levin (D-MI). The bill is also endorsed by leading economists, labor unions, businesses and a diverse set of national and local organizations. Here's the thinking inside her office that went into the bill and here's a short summary of the legislation which is meant to create "a streamlined program to provide a three-month federal guarantee for 100 percent of worker salaries of up to $100,000 to ensure employers of all sizes keep workers on the payroll and continue to provide employer-sponsored benefits. This paycheck guarantee would automatically renew on a monthly basis until consumer demand rebounds to pre-crisis levels. The bill also includes strong worker protections and fraud prevention measures." Jayapal: "A federal paycheck guarantee is a real solution that matches the scale of the crisis. Mass unemployment is a policy choice. We can and should choose differently. A federal paycheck guarantee would stanch more layoffs and unemployment, and quickly and reliably deliver relief to workers. Workers would not be forced to apply for unemployment insurance, overwhelm that system and then have to once again find a job. Businesses of all sizes would be able to keep workers on payroll and benefits-- and be able to quickly re-open-- partially or fully-- without having to rehire and retrain their workforce."

One of America's top progressive economists, Gabriel Zucman, is fully behind Jayapal's legislation. "Congress needs a more forceful response to the job crisis. If nothing changes, the unemployment rate will soon exceed 20 percent. The federal government needs to guard against mass unemployment by guaranteeing paychecks, like many other countries are already doing. Rep. Jayapal’s Paycheck Guarantee Plan is a critically important step that would save millions of jobs and put the United States on track for a faster recovery."

Both the AFL-CIO and the SEIU are firmly behind the bill, which may help prevent Pelosi and Hoyer from burying it. Mary Kay Henry, president of the SEIU: "Congress must take action on the Paycheck Guarantee Act to help to end mass layoffs, keep working people paid and connected to their healthcare and other benefits. This type of bill is vital to ensuring that the economy is ready to restart when the pandemic ends by protecting the health, safety and long-term economic well-being of working people across America."

This is what Jayapal intends for the legislation-- if McConnell doesn't block it in the Senate-- to accomplish:

• Cover 100% of wages for workers earning salaries up to $100,000 to ensure that employers keep workers paid and out of the unemployment line
• Keep workers enrolled in employer-sponsored benefits, including health care
• Encourage employers to rehire recently laid-off or furloughed workers by covering payroll retroactively to the start of the crisis
• Cover essential business expenses like rent, to ensure that businesses don't shutter completely and can re-open when the pandemic ends
• Get support to workers and employers as quickly as possible, using existing payroll tax infrastructure to facilitate delivery of payments
• Keep workers attached to the labor market and businesses ready to reopen, speeding up the economic recovery.  

The best way to end Mitch McConnell's poisonous political career would be to elect Louisville state Rep. Charles Booker to replace him. Yesterday Booker told his supporters that McConnell blocked the newest pandemic relief bill and is now undermining Kentucky’s state and local leaders working to control the outbreak of the coronavirus. "Governor Beshear, Mayor Fischer, and local leaders are working around the clock to flatten the curve and save Kentuckians’ lives during this pandemic," said Rep. Booker, "and it is dangerous for Mitch McConnell to undermine their leadership. In an attempt to pander to religious conservatives, Mitch McConnell is willing to endanger the lives of thousands of Christians and people of faith across the Commonwealth on Easter weekend. Both of my parents are ministers, and I grew up in the church. It pains me to be away from my church this weekend as we celebrate the Resurrection. The decision to ask Kentuckians to stay home this weekend is not an infringement on faith; it comes as a necessity to save lives, and from the principles of our faith that tell us to care for one another."