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Friend,
In the last year of this global pandemic, we have seen corporations and CEOs reap the benefits of payouts and soaring profits while everyday workers, low-income people, and families across the country have been left to scrape by.
This dire need is especially clear in my district, which has one of the highest percentages of impoverished residents in our country. Even before the pandemic, many people here and across the country were living paycheck-by-paycheck. And with unemployment continuing to skyrocket as bills continue to pile up each month, one-time survival checks don't cut it.
Without continued economic support from our government, people cannot survive. Folks need far more aid to pay their bills, purchase groceries, keep a roof over their heads, and afford other essential needs.
That’s why I just re-introduced the groundbreaking Automatic BOOST to Communities (ABC) Act, legislation to deliver universal recurring payments for COVID-19 relief.
In this unprecedented moment, people desperately need bold, transformative approaches from their government. Over 73,000 people have signed on so far to support the ABC Act.1 And with Democratic control of the Senate, we actually have a chance to pass this much-needed policy. But it’s going to take a lot of work.
Can you donate now to help us pass this groundbreaking legislation to provide recurring monthly $2,000 payments during the pandemic and $1,000 monthly payments for one year after the pandemic to ensure people’s survival?
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My colleague Rep. Pramila Jayapal and I originally introduced this bill about a year ago. Around that time I also led nearly 60 members of Congress, including Senators like Kamala Harris, to push for including recurring payments as part of Congress’s economic response to the COVID-19 crisis. Now recurring payments are more needed than ever.
And unlike a payroll tax cut, which would do little to benefit our most vulnerable workers, the ABC Act would put real money in the pockets of people across the country. As Economic Security Project Co-Chair Natalie Foster noted, this bill would provide “a critical lifeline for those the recovery is leaving behind.”
Here’s what the bill would provide:
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An immediate $2,000 monthly payment to every person in America (including undocumented people, children and other dependents, and people in U.S. protectorates and territories) as critical relief during the COVID-19 crisis, followed by $1,000 recurring monthly payments for one year after the end of the crisis to help our country and families recover.
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Pre-paid debit cards that would automatically reload each month, to cover the 25% of Americans who are underbanked or unbanked and can only cash checks through predatory lenders.
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A new Emergency Responder Corps program to reach out to at-risk and vulnerable communities to ensure they have access to the direct payments and other resources to address their needs.
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An innovative financing mechanism to ensure our country incurs no additional debt through this process. There’s a creative loophole of sorts to avoid debt, where the U.S. Treasury can mint two $1 trillion coins and additional coins as necessary.
This is the legislation that we and our neighbors need and deserve.
The Working Families Party calls it “transformational,” and Community Change Action President Lorella Praeli has noted that this “bold solution” “not only helps people survive the next few months, but serves as a foundation for all of our families to thrive in the long term.” Yes!
Plus, the idea is popular: According to polling released by Data for Progress and the Justice Collaborative Institute last year, there is strong bipartisan support among people in the U.S., with 66% of the public preferring recurring payments of $2,000 until a year after the President declares an end to the federal state of emergency.
And now that Democrats have narrow control over the Senate, we actually have a chance of passing recurring payments. But we’ve got a fight ahead of us.
Can you chip in today to help pass this groundbreaking legislation to provide recurring payments during the pandemic and ensure people’s survival?
Thank you for all you do,
Rashida
1 (Please sign and share this petition if you have not yet done so!)
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