Dear John:
Crumbs for everyday people, a gigantic giveaway for corporations, and a massive power grab by Donald Trump. That’s what we got in the bill Trump just signed into law.
Help us fight for a People's Bailout with your donation.
The new law does include some important emergency measures for everyday Americans, like one-time cash assistance and expanded unemployment benefits. But, let's be clear about what just happened. Senate Republicans insisted on massive corporate giveaways with the barest of strings attached. Then, they skipped town to pressure the Democratic House to accept their demands or get nothing for their suffering constituents.
Once the House passed the bill, Trump declared he would ignore the parts of the bill designed to help Congress track the money that the administration is handing out to corporations.
So now we have:
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a $500 billion slush fund in the hands of Trump’s Treasury secretary from Goldman Sachs,
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a $1,200 one-time payment for each adult plus $500 per child, which won't be enough to pay for rent and utilities through this crisis, and
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More than 3 million people who are about to lose their health insurance because they just lost their jobs.
There are other meager supports for everyday people in the bill, and we recognize that progressive fighters like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez and Sen. Sanders had to move mountains to get them included. But as AOC said, this bill represents “crumbs for our families.”
No expansion of paid sick and family leave during a pandemic.
No student debt forgiveness—even while schools are closed and most students can’t work.
No down payments on a clean energy economy.
No rent freeze.
Not good enough.
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We need a People’s Bailout. That bailout would follow five principles:
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Health is the top priority for all people, with no exceptions.
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Provide economic relief directly to the people.
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Rescue workers and communities, not corporate executives.
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Make a down payment on a regenerative economy, while preventing future crises.
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Protect our democratic process while protecting each other.
People’s Action is helping to lead the fight for a People’s Bailout. If you’re able, please join us for an online rally tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. Eastern to fight for a bailout for people, not corporations. In addition to speakers who will talk about the five principles, the rally will be opened by Former Georgia House Democratic Leader Stacey Abrams and closed by Reverend Dr. William Barber II of the Poor People’s Campaign. And our network’s own Afua Atta-Mensah will lift up our #RentZero #CancelRent campaign.
We are fighting for a response to this crisis that puts people and the planet first. We’re fighting for a Homes Guarantee to protect the tens of millions of people who will not be able to pay next month’s rent. We’re organizing with allies to create a progressive international response through our Justice Is Global project. And we’re fighting for Medicare for All and an end to student debt--policies that would mitigate the impact of the pandemic and repair the corroded public structures revealed by coronavirus as too weak to support us.
The only way to get through this is together. We are glad you’re with us.
Sincerely,
George Goehl
People’s Action
