Fellow Illinoisan,

As Senators return to Washington this week following the Thanksgiving holiday, we have no shortage of urgent issues to address.  Chief among them is the dire need to pass meaningful, comprehensive COVID-19 relief.

The past nine months have been devastating—13.5 million Americans have been infected with COVID-19 and more than 267,000 have lost their lives to the virus.  November was by far the worst month for COVID-19 infections in the United States.  December is shaping up to be even worse.  If we don’t act soon, we will be in for a long and deadly winter.

DURBIN HIGHLIGHTS BIPARTISAN COVID-19 RELIEF FRAMEWORK, CRITICIZES INCLUSION OF CORPORATE IMMUNITY

The United States set a record of 96,000 Americans hospitalized on Monday.  And one-quarter of our nation’s hospitals report “critical” shortages of doctors and nurses, who have been fatigued by months of fighting on the front lines.

I am deeply worried about the health and safety of our country, but I am also worried about the millions of Americans and families who find themselves in dire straits because of the devastating economic impact of this pandemic.  In the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving, one in eight Americans—more than 26 million people—did not have enough food to eat. 

The fact is that too many Americans are living life on the brink, waiting anxiously for additional relief, and to this point, Congress has failed them.  We must take action to help the roughly 12 million Americans who will lose unemployment benefits in December.  We must help our state and local governments, who have been hammered by shrinking revenues.  We must help the small business owners who are making difficult decisions about closing their doors permanently.  And we must help the millions of Americans who face the threat of eviction without additional help.

Americans are risking their lives every day to help us get through this pandemic.  It’s time for Congress to do its part and help the American people make it through this crisis.

Sincerely,

U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL)