The GOP-controlled Senate had not passed any COVID-19 relief legislation, AND Senate Majority Leader McConnell said he was not sure if more relief was necessary. Then suddenly last week, Mitch McConnell made a floor speech about the importance of wearing masks AND announced a compromise with the House to extend the Paycheck Protection Program (the PPP).
Extending the PPP was an important band-aid, but what was much more significant was that McConnell blinked. The reality is that the U.S. has not handled the pandemic well by any metric. Not only have we failed at controlling the virus, we have allowed the pandemic to wreak havoc on our economy. Just so we’re clear, this did not have to happen. This was and still is a policy decision. Other countries are not facing unemployment numbers like ours.
We are facing Great Depression-level unemployment. And it’s a choice! We can still take actions to mitigate the harm, but we’re late. We may be late, but McConnell did blink and show he is willing to spend money that is desperately needed. Apparently, hoping COVID miraculously goes away is not a strategy most republicans are comfortable going all in on.
The House is going to keep the pressure on the Senate this week. Tomorrow, July 7 at 9am there will be a hearing featuring our own Rep. Pramila Jayapal’s Paycheck Recovery Act (H.R. 6918), which SI endorsed back in May (Read Below). As coronavirus cases surge and states begin shutting down once again, we need to keep workers in their jobs, keep businesses afloat and keep our economy from taking another body blow. The Paycheck Recovery Act is the solution we need: a bill to stop mass layoffs, fight mass unemployment, support businesses, and keep our economy going until we can actually reopen safely. Rep. Jayapal introduced the bill and Rep. Smith is already a cosponsor along with over 100 Members of Congress.
We need to thank them for their perseverance, but let them know to keep up the fight. We may not get another shot! We need to let our Senators know we expect them not to compromise. They must act as if this is the last COVID relief bill because it very well could be.
Thank our Representatives:
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Rep. Pramila Jayapal: https://jayapal.house.gov/contact/
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Rep. Adam Smith: https://adamsmith.house.gov/contact/
Sample Script:
Hi, my name is {NAME}, and I live in {CITY, ZIP}. I am writing to voice my support for The Paycheck Recovery Act. We need leaders who understand the scale of the crisis we are in. Thank you for {introducing/cosponsoring} this important bill. Please fight for it. We will have your back.
Lean on our Senators:
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Sen. Maria Cantwell: https://www.cantwell.senate.gov/contact/email/form
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Sen. Patty Murray: https://www.murray.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/contactme
Sample Script:
Hi, my name is {NAME}, and I live in {CITY, ZIP}. I’m writing to you because the next COVID relief bill is absolutely crucial. We are not doing all we can to help workers. We are still in a pandemic. That’s not likely to change anytime soon and I want to make sure the Senator knows that The Paycheck Recovery Act must be part of any relief bill. The economic effects of a pandemic were always going to be bad so we can’t change that, but we can prevent the effects from being catastrophic. I expect you to vote against any legislation that does not include it.
Background
Seattle Indivisible’s Endorsements for COVID relief: https://www.seattleindivisible.com/blog/2020/5/15/how-we-respond-to-the-covid-19-crisis-will-define-us-as-a-nationseattle-indivisible-endorsements-for-next-congressional-covid-19-relief-bill
Seattle Indivisible joins over 100 organizations in endorsing the The Paycheck Recovery Act: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1J-kY86XGG76ao5SqCZ9APhYSP69vn2TyfeVWN6xj0K4/edit?usp=sharing
If your organization would like to endorse the Paycheck Recovery Act and get involved, please email Vimala Phongsavanh at [email protected].
EVENT THIS TUESDAY
Indivisible LD30 Candidates Town Hall
Tuesday 7/7 at 7PM
Join us for the LD30 Indivisible Town Hall with Candidates Jamila Taylor (Rep. Pos. 1) and Rep. Jesse Johnson (Rep. Pos. 2). Moderated by Stephan Cox, Washington State Indivisible Podcast. This event is by Zoom — register at http://bit.ly/LD30_TownHall
Hosted by
Indivisible Tacoma
North Seattle Progressives
and Washington Indivisible Network
