Don’t leave families behind
in next COVID-19 relief bill
On March 18, President Trump signed the second coronavirus response bill into law.
This was an important step, but we have to remember that Trump and his Republican allies pushed to weaken the bill before it passed the House, which will compound the effects of Trump’s previous downplaying of the virus, actions that made us less prepared to confront a pandemic.
Congress cannot allow Trump and his lobbyist-stacked administration to hand out money to corporations while leaving families behind.
As such, one of the next response packages needs to safeguard our democracy by including nationwide vote by mail, as laid out in the Natural Disaster and Emergency Ballot Act.
It also should include direct cash assistance to individuals and families, with rigorous requirements attached to any corporate bailouts.
Lastly, it needs universal paid sick days, family leave and expanded unemployment insurance to fill in the gaps from the second coronavirus response bill.
David Belli
Concord
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