Congress Must Pass the American Worker Holiday Relief Act

By Senator Ron Wyden

One month from today, more than 12 million workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own will see their incomes go to zero. On top of this, millions more workers are struggling to pay rent and buy groceries after Senate Republicans allowed the $600 weekly boost to unemployment benefits to expire four months ago. These workers saw monthly incomes cut by anywhere from half to two-thirds.

This economic cliff comes at an increasingly desperate time. The country is seeing around 150,000 COVID cases and 1,500 deaths per day, day after day after day. Cases are up significantly in nearly every state, with hospitals over or near capacity. With Donald Trump’s total surrender to the virus, the economy is backsliding. This backsliding comes right as we enter the holiday season, which countless businesses rely on to stay afloat.

Despite the deteriorating economy and clear evidence that increased and expanded unemployment benefits helped prop up the economy and lift millions of families out of poverty, President Trump and Senate Republicans have shown no urgency to avert this looming financial disaster.

That’s why I am introducing the American Worker Holiday Relief Act with Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer, Senator Sherrod Brown, and Senator Michael Bennet. 

Our bill would retroactively extend the $600 weekly federal boost to unemployment insurance benefits through October 2021, as well as tie additional weeks of federal benefits and new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program for gig and freelance workers to economic conditions on the ground.

These programs would not expire as long as the three month average national unemployment rate is above 5.5 percent, and will stay available longer in states where unemployment remains high.  

The road to recovery will be a long one, particularly for workers in the hardest hit services industries, whether it’s bars, restaurants, events, or tourism. Whether or not you can pay rent or feed your family should not depend on whether or not Mitch McConnell sees it in his political interest.

To harmonize benefits for workers covered by traditional unemployment insurance and the PUA program, our bill would add 26 weeks of benefits for workers covered by the traditional unemployment insurance system, as well as the new PUA program.

To further strengthen the PUA program, our bill would clarify that workers who need to care for children whose schools are not fully open for in-person learning, or whose employers are not following COVID-19 health and safety rules are covered by the program. Parents are being forced to choose between caring for their children and making ends meet, and workers are being forced to choose between protecting their health and making ends meet. They should not have to make that choice, and our bill would make sure that’s the case.

Senate Republicans will trot out all of their tired arguments about why the sky will fall if the federal government ensures workers can pay the rent and feed their families during a pandemic, but Democrats must recognize that these tired excuses just do not persuade the American people.

Data for Progress polling from this past summer showed that 78 percent of Americans, including 76 percent of Republicans, support replacing 100 percent of workers’ wages during this crisis. Support across all demographic groups was strong: 83 percent of college graduates, 75 percent of high school graduates, 74 percent of African-Americans, 77 percent of Hispanic, and 80 percent of white respondents were strongly or somewhat supportive of the $600 weekly boost.  

On top of this polling, Democrats must open their eyes to the fact that Trump’s better than expected performance among voters of color is likely attributable, at least in part, to the unprecedented economic relief included in the CARES Act. Despite the crisis, many working families were better off economically during the spring and summer.

Senate Democrats secured this relief during the negotiations, and must remember that there is overwhelming support for a stronger safety net in the midst of a pandemic. We must keep fighting for the relief the American people want and need.