June 12, 2020

States are allowing businesses and other facilities to reopen, usually with some restrictions. COVID-19 is not done, though. We have passed the 2 million mark for cases in the U.S. and half the states plus Puerto Rico have seen cases trending up in the past two weeks. While some people are going back to work, close to half of all households (nearly 120 million people) include someone who lost income from work, with Latinx almost 1.5 times as likely to experience lost earnings as White households. 12 million of the poorest among us have not gotten help they are eligible for, and growing numbers have not had enough to eat or been able to pay their rent. Black Americans’ death rate from the coronavirus remains higher than other racial groups. Through mid-May, that meant 13,000 more Black Americans would have remained alive if their death rate were no higher than the White rate. That has now risen to 14,400 more deaths. Without more action, urgently needed aid will expire and state services will go unfunded. The Senate must join the House in enacting COVID recovery legislation similar to the House’s HEROES act.