Dear fellow MoveOn member,

I am so furious that I need to shout from the rooftops. But we're in
lockdown, so I'm emailing you: No industry—not airlines, not hotel chains,
not cruise ships—should be bailed out.

Congress is feverishly negotiating a sweeping economic stabilization bill
that is expected to pass as early as tomorrow. The details of it are
changing rapidly, but Donald Trump and Mitch McConnell are proposing
hundreds of billions of dollars in bailouts for the airline industry and
other industries that recklessly mismanaged their budgets by fattening the
pockets of their CEOs. And now, these wealthy executives are begging
Republicans for a taxpayer handout.

But guess how much the lowest-earning Americans would have gotten from
McConnell's initial proposal? As little as $600.^1 It's disgraceful.

John, breaking news indicates that House is drafting its own
bill, that Democrats aren't ready to rubber-stamp the Republican corporate
bailout proposal, and this legislation is not yet a done deal.^2 But we
have only a couple of days to pressure lawmakers to rise to the challenge
of this unprecedented moment and make sure that our government bails out
the American people, not corporations. That's why I'm writing to you now.

Think about all of the people across America who are constantly checking
their local newspapers' websites to learn the latest about how the
pandemic is affecting their communities; that's what I'm doing, and you
might be, too. But what if, in addition to showing the much-needed news
updates, the newspapers' websites showed ads pressuring Congress to give a
lifeline to people, not corporations, in the economic stimulus bill? These
ads will make lawmakers, who I can assure you care about what's said in
their local papers, take serious notice.

This powerful ad campaign is exactly what MoveOn plans to implement, but
only if they can raise $250,000.



[ [link removed] ]Will you join me in rushing a donation of $3 to MoveOn
right now?



As former secretary of the U.S. Department of Labor, I can tell you that
there is no justification whatsoever to bailing out corporations right
now. The airline industry certainly doesn't deserve a bailout: The biggest
U.S. airlines spent 96% of their cash flow over the past decade to buy
back shares of their own stock in order to boost executive bonuses and
please wealthy investors. American Airlines alone repurchased more than
$12.5 billion of its shares over the past 10 years.

But McConnell expects us to bail them out to the tune of $50 billion?

The airlines can stay in business by borrowing at rock-bottom rates, using
their assets as collateral. Regular Americans living paycheck to paycheck
don't have that same option.

John, we need to come together right now to demand Congress put
people first and pass an economic stimulus bill to support Americans in
need, not provide bailouts for big businesses.



[ [link removed] ]Will you rush a donation of $3 to MoveOn right now, so
they can launch high-profile ads on the webpages of local newspapers,
pressuring key senators to do the right thing and bail out people, not
corporations?



Just three weeks ago, Trump claimed that the coronavirus was "going to
disappear. One day—it's like a miracle—it will disappear."^3

And on that same day, Republican Senator Richard Burr warned wealthy
constituents in a private meeting of the dire consequences that would
arise from the crisis. He advised the well-connected group to prepare to
alter their travel plans, warned that schools will probably close, and
predicted that the military may be mobilized to combat the outbreak.^4
When addressing the general public, however, he followed Trump's lead and
minimized the severity of the crisis.

And then, Burr sold $1.5 million of his stock holdings, right before the
market nosedived.

This is outrageous, and yet another example of Republicans serving their
own interests and those of the wealthy over the needs of the American
people. Unless we hold GOP lawmakers' feet to the fire, the economic
stimulus bill won't help everyday Americans who urgently need help the
most.

Seemingly overnight, so many people in every community in America have
lost their jobs or are facing a severe cutback in hours due to the
pandemic.

Congress has to do the right thing in this unprecedented moment: It must
put people first, small businesses second, and big business last.



[ [link removed] ]Please, chip in $3 to MoveOn right now to hold GOP
lawmakers accountable and to make Congress pass the stimulus bill to help
the American people in this unprecedented moment.



Thanks for all you do.

–Robert Reich

P.S. My new book, out this Tuesday, March 24, explores the power dynamics
that left us with a system that puts corporations before people and leaves
so many behind, especially in times of crises. [ [link removed] ]Please order a copy
today to understand how we got into this mess, and how we get out.

Sources:

1. "Senate Republicans' cash assistance plan is far too limited, Vox,
March 20, 2020
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

2. "POLITICO Playbook: A $1.6 trillion game of chicken," Politico, March
23, 2020
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

3. "A Complete List of Trump's Attempts to Play Down Coronavirus," The New
York Times, March 15, 2020
[ [link removed] ][link removed]

4. "Weeks Before Virus Panic, Intelligence Chairman Privately Raised
Alarm, Sold Stocks," NPR, March 19, 2020
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
Want to support MoveOn's work? The MoveOn community will work every
moment, day by day and year by year, to resist Trump's agenda, contain the
damage, defeat hate with love, and begin the process of swinging the
nation's pendulum back toward sanity, decency, and the kind of future that
we must never give up on. And to do it, MoveOn needs your support, now
more than ever. Will you stand with MoveOn?



[ [link removed] ]Click here to chip in $3, or whatever you can afford.





You can unsubscribe from this mailing list at any time:
[link removed]