Last Friday, in a close and hotly contested vote, the House passed the HEROES Act to take long-needed steps to counter the pandemic and provide emergency economic relief to those who desperately need it. Republicans unanimously voted against the Act. So did half a dozen moderate Democrats who felt it went too far, as well as a roughly equal number of progressive Democrats who felt it did not go far enough. ISF members called their House Representatives to delay the vote on this gigantic bill to give progressive legislators and activists more time to understand and improve it, but the bill was passed as is.
Now it’s up to our Senators to make sure the bill becomes law without being watered down by Republicans and, if possible, to improve the bill.
Call your Senators and tell them: Defend and Improve the HEROES Act!
What’s in the bill? Previously known as “Phase-4” and “CARES2,” the HEROES Act contains 1,800 pages of legislation on aid, financial stimulus, and other provisions related to the COVID-19 emergency.
First, the good news: the bill contains many of the provisions that we in Indivisible fought so hard for. The inclusion of those provisions is a significant victory for grassroots activism. It contains significant funding for state and local governments, hazard pay, coronavirus testing and treatment, and more.
Unfortunately, the bill also contains some measures that seem nice on paper, but are inadequate, such as those addressing financial aid to individuals and families, student debt, safeguarding elections, USPS funding, and more. Some funding is provided by the Act for these issues, but it’s not nearly enough and doesn’t address the needs of Americans. For example, the bill contains no measures restricting foreclosures or evictions, no student loan forgiveness, and only a one-time aid check instead of continuous financial aid.
And the bill contains some downright terrible provisions that allow even more tax breaks for the wealthy, even making lobbyists eligible for the Paycheck Protection Program.
Overall, the HEROES Act contains some steps in the right direction, but it needs to be bolder and go farther.
What happens now? The HEROES Act now goes to the Senate, where Republican leader “Moscow Mitch” McConnell has declared it “Dead on Arrival.” (And Trump has boasted that he intends to veto it.) We face a hard fight. Republicans will try to stall and slow-walk it to death. If we manage to force a debate and vote, they will attempt to defeat the Act outright and, failing that, to weaken it while loading it up with corporate welfare and more tax breaks for billionaires. But we need to do more than just defend the bill that was passed by the House. We need to improve it so that it adequately meets the needs of the crises we face.
This fight for our health and economic future begins this week with each of us urging our Senators to stand up for regular Americans by supporting the HEROES Act and working to improve it.
Our demands for the HEROES Act. Our asks to our Senators are to insist on a vote on the HEROES Act, to defend the existing positive provisions, and to make the following improvements:
1. Replacing the one-time check/ tax credit with regular relief payments to individuals, such as Rep. Jayapal's “Paycheck Guarantee Act” or the Hawley-Gardner “Rehire America” proposal.
2. Rejecting blanket immunity for businesses from health and safety liability regardless of their actual culpability. Businesses that protect their employees and customers must not be placed at a competitive disadvantage by those who feel free to cut corners because they have been granted federal immunity from legal action for ignoring health/safety regulations and guidelines.
3. Strengthening oversight to ensure fair and equal administration of programs and distribution of benefits.
4. Strengthening whistleblower protection for those who report fraud, discrimination, and misappropriation.
As usual, this is a fast-changing situation, and we can’t allow Republicans to scam Americans out of real aid yet again. Call your Senators today and let them know you’re watching!
ISF Spotlight
A win for Remote Voting. We in Indivisible have been urging the House to adopt new rules allowing them to function during the pandemic. In legislative politics, no one ever wins everything they want to the entire degree they want it, but Friday's vote opening the House to remote work and proxy voting came close. Dan Schuman of Demand Progress, who has led the push for this issue, reported:
“On Friday, the House adopted a remote voting resolution (H. Res. 965) that provides for proxy voting on the floor, remote committee hearings, and creates a pathway for remote voting on the floor and remote mark-ups in committees. In other words, the House can function for the foreseeable future despite the COVID-19 pandemic, creating the possibility of a legislative check on the executive branch. The Senate, meanwhile, continues to play Russian roulette with its members, staff, and the ability of that chamber to function.
Just a few months ago, Speaker Pelosi and Majority Leader McConnell spoke out in opposition to remote deliberations, and Minority Leader McCarthy denounced it from the House floor. It is unusual, to say the least, for a rules change to pass over the opposition of the leaders of both parties in the House, but intense political pressure and the political reality prompted Speaker Pelosi to do a 180, and she put her own stamp on the rule to protect (and possibly aggrandize) her power vis-a-vis the rank-and-file.”
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ISF General Meeting: Sunday, June 7, 1–3 PM via Zoom. Register here to join our online meeting. We are working on more ways to stay in contact with you online!
Virtual Pints & Postcards: Sunday, June 7, 3–5 PM via Zoom. Join us in partnership with Vote Forward to write letters while chatting after our general meeting. Register HERE to get an invitation. For more info, see our webpage on the event.
Wednesday, May 20 10:30 AM-12:30 PM: At Home & Together Phone Bank with Democracy Action SF. RSVP here to join this phone bank via Zoom.
Saturday, May 23 1–4 PM: At Home & Together Phone Bank with Democracy Action SF. RSVP here to join this phone bank via Zoom.
Sunday, May 24, 12–2 PM: At Home & Together Phone Bank with Democracy Action SF. RSVP here to join this phone bank via Zoom.
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Keep Fighting,
The Indivisible SF Team
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