May 8, 2020

Inside this issue

• CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly

  CCUSA Presents the Washington Weekly  
  This week lawmakers continue to deal with the ongoing fallout of the coronavirus as the Labor Department announced historic levels of unemployment.

Americans continue to feel the impact of the coronavirus with another 3.16 million people filing for unemployment insurance. This brings the total number of unemployment claims to 33.5 million over the last seven weeks. Today, the Department of Labor (DOL) reported that the economy lost more than 20 million jobs in April, skyrocketing the unemployment rate to 14.7 percent. In two months the unemployment rate went from a half-century record low of 3.5 percent, to a level not seen since the Great Depression. Experts suggest that the DOL report understates the true levels of devastation to the economy because the unemployment rate excludes people who aren't actively looking for work and doesn't account for employees who have had their hours or pay cut.

The DOL report is even harsher for minority communities. The unemployment rate for African-American workers is 16.7 percent. Today's unemployment number erases the record employment gains seen by African-American workers made since the Great Recession. Hispanic and Latino workers have an even higher unemployment rate of 18.9 percent.

The coronavirus has been particularly devastating to vulnerable populations, including African-Americans and Hispanic and Latinos. Not only are low-income workers more likely to have been economically damaged by the pandemic, but they are also more likely to become seriously ill if infected with the coronavirus. Analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation found that low-income people are less likely to be able to follow social distancing guidelines due to many of their essential jobs requiring them to remain in close proximity to individuals Their analysis found that 35 percent of non-elderly adults with household incomes below $15,000 are at higher risk of serious illness if infected with coronavirus, compared to only 16 percent of adults with household incomes greater than $50,000.

Prior to the DOL's job report, lawmakers were already assembling the next coronavirus relief package requests. Democratic leadership has indicated that their next coronavirus relief proposal will be large in scope and size in an attempt to meet the historic needs of the American people. The Democratic proposal is currently estimated to be $2 trillion and is expected to include new funding for testing, protective medical equipment, jobless benefits, small businesses and state and local governments. Republican leadership has indicated their next proposal will be narrower in scope, because of a desire to let the funds from the previous packages be fully implemented. They are currently debating what will be included in their proposal, but some ideas being discussed include liability protections for businesses, payroll tax reductions and decreases in capital gains tax.

Catholic Charities USA remains committed to working with our leaders and lifting up the needs of our brothers and sisters in poverty by providing congressional leaders recommendations they can take to mitigate the impact to people in poverty dealing with the coronavirus. You can check out Catholic Charities USA's resource page highlighting the latest information on COVID-19 here.

Faith and the Common Good As the United States celebrates Mother's Day this Sunday, we offer a prayer for all mothers.

A Prayer for Mothers
Loving God, as we celebrate Mother's Day, we thank you for all mothers. 
Bless us with their patience and love as we seek to
Cherish mothers who have nurtured and offered guidance;
Offer joy to the mothers who lift our spirits every day;
Honor mothers who were separated from their children due to poverty or conflict;
Comfort mothers who have had a miscarriage;
Walk with mothers who need support;
Reassure new mothers who may need some extra confidence;
Remember mothers who are no longer with us, but whose memories and traditions still shape our lives today;
Recognize all neighbors, aunties, and friends who, while may not be mothers, offer support both to mothers and their children;
We pray for all mothers and women who care for children placed in their lives, love them unconditionally, build hope in our communities and continue to restore our faith in you. 
Help us to follow their example as we advocate for the care of our brothers and sisters.
Amen. 

Join Catholic Rural Life for a Virtual Novena to St. Isidore
As we mentioned last week, Catholic Rural Life is hosting a virtual novena to St. Isidore, patron saint of farmers and Catholic Rural Life. This will be an opportunity to pray for the farmers, farmworkers, and all who are involved in food production and distribution, especially during this global pandemic. 

The novena began yesterday and concludes on Friday, May 15, the Feast of St. Isidore, with virtual Mass on a farm in Texas. Each day a Bishop from the CRL Board of Directors will lead us through the novena, lifting up all the intentions of rural communities throughout our country.

For more information and to see the schedule, click here.
 
5th Anniversary of Laudato Si'
To commemorate the fifth anniversary of the encyclical Laudato Si', Pope Francis has invited Catholics to participate in Laudato Si'  Week, a nine-day global campaign taking place May 16-24, 2020. Sign up to receive daily reflections with ways to pray, learn, and act to care for God's creation.  Visit our full library of resources from the USCCB Department of Justice, Peace and Human Development for more ways you can observe the fifth anniversary of Laudato Si'. 

Trivia Who was the first Asian-American woman elected to the U.S. Senate? 

We did not receive any responses to last week's trivia question.  The correct answer is Kalpana Chawla was the first Asian-American woman in space. She was an American astronaut, engineer, and the first woman of Indian origin to go to space. She first flew on the Space Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator. In 2003, Chawla was one of the seven crew members who died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster when the spacecraft disintegrated during its re-entry in the Earth's atmosphere. Chawla was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
 
Please send your answers to [email protected]
Please share the weekly with your friends, family and networks so that we can build a movement of solidarity for those most in need!

You can also access advocacy opportunities through our advocacy and policy page.

Stay connected with our work to end poverty, follow us on Twitter at @CCharitiesUSA.

If you would like to help further Catholic Charities' commitment to alleviating, reducing, and preventing poverty you can contribute here.
 
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