Last night, Democrats stopped Mitch McConnell and Senate Republicans from rushing through an aid package that’s supposed to blunt the damage to the economy caused by the coronavirus. Republicans howled that Democrats are holding up help to families and businesses in need. Democrats argue that the $1.6 trillion bill short-changed families while giving Trump a $500 billion slush fund with no-strings-attached aid to corporations of his choice.
Democrats need to hold the line and get the bill right. Even the most conservative Democrat in the Senate, West Virginia’s Joe Manchin, voted against the bill. Democrats insist on more aid to small businesses and the workers who have lost their jobs. They also want regulations placed on the aid to big corporations that prevents stock buybacks that help shareholders but not workers. And they want to prevent the money from going to corporate executives who have seen their salaries skyrocket in recent decades.
Given the size of this bill, there won’t be much more support in the near future so Democrats need to ensure that the money doesn’t just funnel its way to the wealthiest Americans. While action is needed very quickly, we can wait a day or two to make sure that working families and poor people don’t face eviction because they can’t make rent in this crisis. Democrats need to hold firm and get it right now.
Thomas Mills is the founder and publisher of PoliticsNC.com. Before beginning PoliticsNC, Thomas spent twenty years as a political and public affairs consultant. Learn more >
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