Dear John,

In case you missed it... this week the Voices for Human Needs blog remembers the late Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) and warns of chaos to come on Election Day if sweeping steps are not taken. And we call on Congress to immediately pass COVID-19 aid, and examine the pandemic's effect on food insecurity in Utah. Finally, we unveil this week's COVID-19 Watch: Tracking Hardship, a by-the-numbers glance at how the pandemic is affecting low-income and other vulnerable people. Please share!

This week on the blog...

What we are called to do, in a screenshot
July 30
CHN's Deborah Weinstein listened to the funeral service for Representative John Lewis through the Washington Post website. Noting the website's stories and op-ed columns that shared space with the civil rights icon's service, she writes that "the view gathered up our moment: the long and courageous march towards justice that John Lewis urges us to continue, the forces that stand against the full expression of democracy, and the ongoing harm that such injustice inflicts." READ MORE

One person, no vote: The bad things that could happen on Nov. 3 and how to prevent them
July 28
November 3, even if it proceeds as scheduled, is likely to bring bureaucratic snafus and foreseeable chaos unfolding on a hundred different fronts at once, in a thousand voting precincts—all of which will leave the U.S. with its most uncertain, disputed result in a lifetime. READ MORE »

National group letter seeking pandemic relief for effective response to our health and economic crisis
July 29
On Tuesday, July 28, 86 national organizations sent a message to every member of the House and Senate: Agree upon legislation that meets our people’s urgent health and economic needs, while protecting democratic mainstays including the right to vote and be counted in the Census despite the pandemic. READ MORE

Pandemic brings food insecurity to more Utah families
July 30
As Congress debates a new coronavirus stimulus bill, more people in Utah are facing food insecurity as the economy struggles with the effects of the pandemic. Groups that offer social services say some families who were previously able to provide healthy meals will see a double whammy at the end of this week. That's when the enhanced federal unemployment assistance is set to expire, leaving many households unable to pay rent. READ MORE »

CHN's latest COVID-19 Watch: Tracking Hardship
July 31
Eyes Upon the Senate Edition. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) let the clock run out on the $600/week Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (PUC) and the federal moratorium on evictions. As you read this, neither are in place. It will take perhaps two weeks for states to reprogram to restore a flat level of PUC; months more to try for a certain percentage of prior earnings, as the Senate “HEALS” Act eventually calls for. Now, McConnell is abandoning the $1T HEALS Act to try to get a bill that provides $200/week in extra pandemic aid, and does nothing else – no help for those facing eviction, no state/local aid, no SNAP increase, no Medicaid funds, no cash stimulus payments, no vaccine research, treatment, or testing funds, no child care, no paid leave. READ MORE »

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