From Oxfam America (http://www.oxfamamerica.org):
As many of you know the Senate came back to DC this week to address a few urgent issues before the August recess, including their version of the next COVID relief bill called CARES 2. The House passed a bill in May that included some support for the most vulnerable in the US – but we’ve all seen the economic and health crisis continue to worsen since then and the need for action is more urgent than ever.
While the needs are certainly enormous, Oxfam has identified several key issues that must be addressed to support the most vulnerable manage the impacts of COVID. Of those, these three are most likely to be excluded from the final Senate bill without a great deal of pressure in the next week:
Tackling hunger here and abroad: COVID has accelerated an already growing hunger crisis. In the US – food insecurity rates have doubled – at least – since the spring. And Oxfam estimates that, globally, 12,000 may die per day by the end of the year because of hunger linked to COVID-19. We need the Senate to continue supporting SNAP benefits and Pandemic EBT for those hungry here in the US, AND to allocate at least $12 billion in international funding to support global health programs as well as address the devastating hunger crisis around the world, including in “hunger hotspots” like South Sudan or Yemen where over half the population doesn’t have enough food to eat.
Protect workers and consumers by rejecting efforts to give corporations immunity when they put their employees and customers at risk. This is increasingly urgent as more and more people are being asked to return to work, with few requirements to prevent them from getting sick.
Protect the right to vote in the November elections, by including the $3.6 billion funding already included in the House HEROES Act, in order to help states, increase access to mail-in and early voting to ensure a fair and safe election.
We expect the Senate will pass this bill before August recess so the next week is critical for influencing what is in the bill.
You can send a quick email to our Senators at https://c4-oxfamlive.bsd.net/co/FY21_OAAF_0723_COVID_4th_Stimulus, or share on Twitter or Facebook.
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