We are deeply saddened at the passing of Susan Rees, a great builder of the Coalition on Human Needs who served as Executive Director from 1983 to 1991.
We are so grateful Susan’s family has suggested contributions be made to CHN in Susan’s memory to continue the fight for justice.
If you would like to contribute to honor Susan Rees, please use the form below and email Radha Rath at rrath@chn.org to let us know you are contributing in Susan’s memory.
You may also contribute by mail at the following address: Coalition on Human Needs, 1825 K Street, NW, Suite 411, Washington, DC 20006.
Sign if you agree! The Senate must finally pass pandemic relief
Millions of vulnerable people including children and families continue to struggle to make ends meet during the COVID-19 pandemic. During the lame-duck session, the Senate must address the urgent needs of workers, children and families and prevent the loss of education and other vital services.
We need to tell the Senate to act, and to finally pass desperately needed pandemic relief for millions of struggling Americans. The House passed a needed package of COVID-relief legislation to address the incredible need of people throughout our country back in mid-May―six months ago! Then the House passed another bill intended to push negotiations forward in October. Time and again, Mitch McConnell and Senate leadership have chosen to do absolutely nothing on behalf of millions of people who are suffering.
On Election Day, tens of millions of Americans made their priorities clear: focus on COVID-19, create good-paying jobs to lift up working families, and meet the urgent needs of children and families.
More than 20 million jobs have been lost during the COVID-19 pandemic. And while roughly half of those have been recovered, the staggering amount of job losses is dramatically increasing hardship, leaving families on the brink of hunger and homelessness. One in five renters with children is behind on rent, and 12 million adults living with children say they did not have enough to eat in the previous week. More delay will cause needless harm to people’s health and lives.
We cannot wait any longer. We must demand the Senate immediately act to provide COVID-19 relief.
How much more will people lose before Trump and McConnell provide help?The House enacted its HEROES bill on May 15. The Senate has not yet acted; its majority caucus is divided.Since the House acted, the number of COVID-19 cases in the U.S. has soared from 1.4 million to 4.8 million. We have gained back some of the jobs lost, but are still at least 13 million below the February peak, and now, as weekly unemployment claims have well exceeded 1 million for 20 weeks, job growth sharply slowed in July. About 30 million jobless people are now going without the $600/week extra unemployment compensation, and that is making it much harder for them to pay rent or buy food. In a nation where 600+ billionaires saw their aggregate incomes rise $42 billion per week between March 18-July 16, the Senate majority and White House have stopped more than $15 billion a week in the $600 unemployment payments; it will take at least weeks for state offices to start them up again. In the meantime, shocking numbers of people cannot pay their rent or get enough to eat. McConnell’s majority has not agreed to an increase in SNAP or emergency rental assistance, but they have proposed doubling the tax break for business meals. States are making cuts, costing more jobs and services. 158,000 have died. Our nation needs action now.
How many jobless people would be helped by the payroll tax cut that President Trump has now talked about doing by executive order, because you don’t pay it when you’re out of work. Tweet this.
More than half
51 percent of people lived in households where someone lost income from work (week ending July 21). From April 23 through July 21, the number of people in such households grew by 10 million, to 126.5 million.
2.23 million fewer
In June, 2.4 million private sector jobs were added; in July, only 167,000, according to ADP and Moody’s Analytics. The sharp slowing was said to result from the surge in COVID cases followed by more business restrictions/fewer customers. Tweet this.
One in five
The number of households that couldn’t pay their rent in the past month. (Closer to 30% for Latinx (27%), Black households (30%), households with children (28%).) The moratorium on evictions in federally subsidized/backed units expired on 7/25.
14.7 million
14.7 million people in households with children sometimes or often did not have enough to eat in the past week (week ending 7/21); that’s up 1.8 million since the week ending 5/26. 25% of Black and 21% of Latinx households with children did not have enough to eat, more than twice the rate of whites (10.5%).
12.2 million
How many people would be kept out of poverty through December if Congress reinstates the $600/week unemployment benefit, approves another round of improved stimulus payments, and increases SNAP, as in the House HEROES bill.
20
20 states have cut education funding (K-12 and/or higher education) for FYs 20 or 21 because of revenue shortfalls, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures.
-1.9 million
1.9 million education jobs estimated to be lost in FYs 20-22 based on decline in state revenues going to education, according to the National Education Assoc.
