PLUS: It's time to "Fix The Flaws COVID-19 Has Exposed In The Unemployment System"; Let's Flatten the Curve of Anti-Charter Politics Friday, April 3, 2020 Contact: Carter Christensen, [email protected] America Needs to Mobilize its Medical Production by Arielle Kane, Director of Health Care In order to save lives and mitigate the impacts of the economic shutdown, there is an acute need for national direction to orchestrate and coordinate medical supply production — and it needs to happen quickly. READ MORE The Moment of Truth for Walmart, Amazon and the Rest of the Food Supply Chain by Michael Mandel, Chief Economic Strategist Workers need to be compensated for their risk. Amazon says that “…we expect to go well beyond our initial $350 million investment in additional pay, and we will do so happily.” The food supply chains must remain open. Workers must be protected and compensated. It’s not a choice. READ MORE Fix The Flaws COVID-19 Has Exposed In The Unemployment System by Brendan McDermott, Fiscal Policy Analyst Congress was right to ramp up UI spending, but it should also address the long-term weaknesses in the UI system that this crisis has laid bare. Lawmakers had to crudely raise UI benefits by a flat amount to accommodate outdated computer systems, and some UI claims systems are failing completely as demand for benefits surges. READ MORE Expanding Postal Voting to Preserve Democratic Institutions During the COVID-19 Crisis by Colin Mortimer, Director of the Neoliberal Project Elections have been thrown into doubt as COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the United States. There is good reason to be worried; these elections represent a unique threat to public health. However, action needs to be taken to ensure that the legitimacy of these elections is not jeopardized. READ MORE The Warehouse Safety Conundrum by Michael Mandel, Chief Economic Strategist This very unique crisis is creating very unique problems. One is how to get food and other essentials from warehouses all over the country into stores and delivered to people’s homes. This is not optional. The supply chain cannot shut down. READ MORE Let’s Flatten the Curve on Anti-Charter Politics by David Osborne, Director of the Reinventing America's Schools Project Lest anyone still thinks the teachers union in Los Angeles cares a whit about school children, its president, Alex Caputo-Pearl, has again demanded that L.A. Unified School District block any expansion of charter schools. These schools educate almost a quarter of Los Angeles County’s public school students—and do it far more effectively than district-operated schools. READ MORE Blog: Does America CARE about Charter Schools? by Curtis Valentine, Deputy Director of the Reinventing America's Schools Project The $2.2 trillion Corona Aid, Relief, and Economic Securities (CARES) Act appropriated $30.75 billion for education—almost half of which will flow to “Local Education Agencies.” These LEAs include both school districts and many charter schools or networks. But charter laws differ from state to state, and many charter schools authorized by school districts do not have legal status as LEAs. READ MORE AVAILABLE ON ALL MAJOR PODCAST PROVIDERS APPLE PODCASTS • STITCHER • PATREON The Progressive Policy Institute is a catalyst for policy innovation and political reform based in Washington, D.C. Its mission is to create radically pragmatic ideas for moving America beyond ideological and partisan deadlock. Join us on Facebook or Twitter on the road to November 2020. ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ Progressive Policy Institute | 1200 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Suite 575, Washington, DC 20036 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | About Constant Contact Sent by [email protected] in collaboration with Try email marketing for free today!