This has been a hard year. Our neighbors in Northwest Washington and those around the nation are hurting due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

I won't stop pushing in Congress until you and your family get the help you need.

People are getting sick. Workers are losing jobs. Small businesses are closing. Families are using the last of their savings to put food on the table or waiting for hours in food lines. Millions are behind on their rent. And, as the cold months set in and with cases on a steady rise, people are literally begging Congress to act.

Although negotiations in Washington, D.C. are ongoing let me be clear: Congress must act NOW. It would be unconscionable for us not to. Any real relief should include these critical elements:

• Over 850,000 people filed for unemployment last week, and it's only going to get worse. We need to restore the $600/week lifeline unemployment benefits that we had in the spring. And we need another round of small business support funding to ensure that workers can stay in their jobs and we keep these small businesses afloat while we await the end of the pandemic.
   
• We must support our state, local, tribal governments as well as public schools, who are getting crushed by reduced revenues at the same time we're expecting them to step up and provide increased services, especially in public health and safety.
   
• In Washington and across the country, hunger is deepening. Families are choosing between food, rent, and health care. We must boost SNAP benefits and ensure support for our local food banks.
   
• We must protect essential workers, particularly those in the health care and social welfare fields. They're putting their lives on the line for all of us; we should ensure that they have the tools, training, and protective gear they need.
   
• We must get kids back in school as soon as we can. That means ensuring that schools are safe, with PPE, sanitizing equipment, airflow retrofits. As long as we have remote learning, that means providing technology and expanding broadband for teachers and students.
   
• To get our economy back on track, workers need reliable, affordable, covid-safe child care. We need emergency funding for child care to support workers and families.
   
• Here in Northwest Washington, tens of thousands of families are supported by the aviation industry; a critical industry for our economic and national security. We must provide the support required to keep aviation workers on the job and rehire those already furloughed.
   
• A vaccine is on the way. Millions of doses are in production, but millions fewer than we need. As the initial doses are delivered, we must ensure that vaccine distribution is done equitably and quickly. We must ensure that vaccines are free to all, and that we have the necessary infrastructure to deliver it to all communities.

Democrats in the House passed a COVID-19 relief package months ago. But Republicans in the Senate won't take up our legislation, won't take the pandemic seriously, and time and again have gone silent when the American people need them the most.

Political games should be the last thing on our minds right now. This is about doing what's right during one of the most difficult times our country has ever faced.

We can see the light at the end of the tunnel. This pandemic will end. But we have some very tough months ahead. Congress must step up and support families in Northwest Washington and all across the country. Let's get this done.

Rick