PFAW Member,
The list of ways Trump and his enablers on the Right (including GOP members of Congress) have failed the American people in this crisis is growing almost too quickly to follow.
Donald Trump has used his position to push out dangerous lies and misinformation about this public health crisis and continues to do so at regular press briefings. And many Republicans in Congress have backed him up, despite strong and thorough refutations by health experts.
The continued failure of Trump Republicans during this crisis highlights the urgency of PFAW’s work this year to defeat them at the ballot box and restore competent, ethical leadership to our country.
We’re quickly adapting to our new reality and laying a new groundwork for how we’re going to organize volunteers and mobilize voters in this year’s most important races. And even in a time of crisis, as always, this work demands the sustained support of our members.
The Republican failure of leadership started right at the beginning of this crisis. Warnings to the White House from intelligence officials going back to January fell on deaf ears. The Washington Post quoted one official as saying the “many people in the government” who saw the pandemic coming tried to alert Trump but “just couldn’t get him to do anything about it” even though “the system was blinking red.”
Republican senators’ first try at a massive relief and stimulus bill amounted to not much more than a slush fund for corporate giveaways by the Trump administration. That bill provided offensively inadequate help for working families and the people hardest hit by this crisis, and just a measly $140 million dedicated to securing the 2020 elections and making sure voters will be able to participate (as opposed to $4 billion offered in an alternative plan by Speaker Pelosi and House Democrats).
The Republican bill also fell far short in providing mechanisms for oversight and accountability on how this massive amount of appropriated funds would be spent. Considering it’s the Trump administration that will be spending the money, there is clearly unprecedented potential for corruption, corporate graft, and self-enrichment, so objective oversight is essential and more important than ever.
And we’ve also already seen shady stock sell-offs by some members of Congress with access to early information about the pandemic – like Republican Chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee Richard Burr – that have the appearance of corrupt self-dealing, if not outright insider trading, all while downplaying the truth of the threat to the American people.
As you read this, we are fighting to make sure government action on the coronavirus pandemic addresses the real needs of Americans and the economy … we’re making sure our democracy and American values are not forgotten … and we’re revamping our efforts to WIN at the ballot box this year because we’re seeing clear as day that progressive victory is now more urgent than ever.
At this time, we know that not all of our members are able to make a financial contribution, which makes it even more important that those who can contribute step up with the extra support needed to keep this work going.
Thank you so much for your incredible support and perseverance in these unprecedented times, and for everything you do.
Stay safe.
-- Michael Keegan, President
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