July 27, 2020

Duckworth Responds to the Republican COVID-19 Proposal

 

[WASHINGTON, DC] – U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL) released the following statement after Republicans announced their proposal for a fourth COVID-19 package:

“The Trump Administration and Republicans in Congress have mishandled this pandemic from the start—from ignoring the science, to claiming it would magically disappear to re-opening before it was safe to do so. Now their so-called ‘relief bill’ lends a helping hand to corporations while gutting support for millions of Americans who need help right now and civil rights protections that Americans with disabilities rely on.

“Let’s be clear about what’s happening here: After neglecting to act until millions of Americans lost their emergency unemployment benefits, it’s unconscionable that Republicans would not only propose cutting hundreds of dollars a week that working class families are relying on, but also that they seem to think asking Americans who are still out of work because of how poorly they and Trump have managed this pandemic to take a 30% pay cut is an acceptable long-term solution. It isn’t.

“While I’m glad this proposal includes money for schools, testing and contact tracing, it doesn’t go far enough to protect the lives and livelihood of millions of Americans. And it goes too far when it comes to giving federal liability immunity to corporations who want protection from lawsuits if their workers get sick while on the job.

“So while the White House and my Republican colleagues are focused on cutting unemployment assistance that working families rely on to put food on the table, I’m focused on our workers, small businesses, families and communities who are carrying the weight of this pandemic. Ten weeks ago Democrats passed the HEROES Act that supports frontline workers, invests in testing, contact tracing and treatment, provides small businesses more support and puts more money in the pockets of hard-working Americans. Mitch McConnell has had more than two months to bring the HEROES Act for a vote and I urge him to do so now.”

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