Election officials are ramping up efforts to make voting easier and safer during the pandemic. BPC's Matthew Weil says Americans should feel confident using ballot drop boxes to cast their votes. And as the pandemic continues, former Senate Majority Leader and BPC Senior Fellow Dr. Bill Frist urges Congress to address the food insecurities faced by many in this country. Finally, in a new white paper, BPC's Business and Technology Project calls for greater research and development in artificial intelligence to maintain American leadership in this technology.

Negotiations over the next round of COVID-19 relief have zeroed in on unemployment insurance, and specifically, what to do about the supplemental $600 weekly benefit that expired last week. BPC recommends continuing the weekly federal supplement at $400 for the coming months to provide workers with substantial financial assistance across every state, while beginning to rebalance incentives toward work.

With the number of COVID-19 cases in the United States hitting new records each day, the importance of developing a vaccine is clearer than ever. A safe, effective, and widely available vaccine is necessary to protect lives, restore our economy, and enable everyone to get back to a sense of normalcy.

School officials and policymakers are searching for solutions to support working families and their school-aged children this fall, due to the ongoing COVID-19 crisis. Twenty-first Century Community Learning Centers would provide working families—particularly low-income families—with the combination of child care and proven academic support they will need this school year.