CORONAVIRUS RELIEF BILL NEEDS MORE WORK
ACTION ONE: CALL YOUR SENATORS
SAMPLE SCRIPT FOR WYDEN AND MERKLEY:
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
I’m calling to thank you and fellow Democrats for sticking together to dramatically improve the pro-corporate, anti-worker GOP–drafted bill. This legislation, however, must be only the beginning. We need your leadership and dedication to fight for working families so that the next relief package includes universal paid sick and family leave for all including immigrants, increased food stamp benefits, more money for small businesses and state and local governments, stronger workplace-safety protection for workers, prohibiting foreclosures, evictions and utility shut-offs, free coronavirus treatment, and no payroll tax cut. Keep up the good work.
CALL SENATOR MERKLEY
CALL SENATOR WYDEN
ACTION TWO: CALL YOUR HOUSE REPS
Not sure who your U.S. Representative is? Find out here.
SAMPLE SCRIPTS FOR REPRESENTATIVES:
My name is [–] and I’m a constituent from [city], Oregon [zip code]. I am calling because…
The Senate’s bill is a good start, but it is missing crucial protections for our hardest-hit communities that cannot wait. Before bringing this bill to a vote, please work to ensure it includes:
- truly universal paid sick leave and ongoing cash assistancefor all, including immigrants
- increased funding for election security and vote by mail
- increased protections for workers (especially frontline health care providers) and support for health care system
- eliminating Mnuchin’s autonomy over slush fund distribution and requiring corporations to use funds only to retain all its employees.
Thank you for all your hard work. Please keep fighting for all of us.
CALL SUZANNE BONAMICI (OR-01)
CALL GREG WALDEN (OR-02)
CALL BLUMENAUER (OR-03)
CALL PETER DEFAZIO (OR-04)
CALL KURT SCHRADER (OR-05)
BACKGROUND:
Americans need protection from devastating medical and economic effects of COVID-19 pandemic. Senate Dems fought long and hard to greatly improve pro-corporate, anti-worker bill GOP drafted. It now provides $367 billion for small businesses, $130 billion to hospitals, a larger one-time stimulus check to many lower income citizens, 4 months of expanded unemployment compensation, and some oversight over administration of $500 billion corporate slush fund.
Cash payments and increased unemployment benefits will help many families somewhat, but corporations are biggest winners. While some restrictions on eligibility for slush fund loans or giftsimposed and recipients must retain 90% of March 24 employment levels to “extent practicable,” irresponsible corporations, like Boeing and airlines, still getting bailed out, and banks having post-2008 restrictions lifted. Oversight reporting requirements a joke, given Trump’s stonewalling of Congressional oversight.
While final package is dramatic improvement, more protections for hardest-hit communities needed before House vote
- truly universal paid sick leave and ongoing cash assistance
- safe and secure elections
- increased protections for workers (especially frontline health care workers) and support for health care system
- requiring that corporations use funds to retain all employees, notfor executive bonuses or stock buybacks
- eliminating Mnuchin’s autonomy over slush fund’s distribution.
