Memo: Concern Over The Coronavirus Pandemic Remains High; Voters Support Continued Economic Relief
By Ilya Sheyman Coronavirus Response Hub, Ethan Winter Analyst, Data for Progress, and Kelsey Wright Intern, Data for Progress
Executive Summary
On May 15, the United States House of Representatives passed the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act. The $3 trillion dollar relief package included another round of $1200 cash payments, aid to states and cities, Native American tribes, protection for essential workers, and other measures. It has since sat in the Senate with the Republican Senate Majority Leader, Mitch McConnell, refusing to bring the bill to the vote.
House Democrats intended the HEROES Act to be a second relief bill that would have built upon and augmented the other major relief bill, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The law passed in March, 2020 included, among other components, two major provisions for individuals and households impacted by the economic crisis, a one time, means tested cash payments of $1200 and the addition of $600 per week to unemployment benefits. Both these measures have been successful in blunting the force of the economic crisis and research has been published that shows has capped the rise of poverty in the United States.
As part of a June survey, Data for Progress sought to test support for both the HEROES and CARES Act, other relief proposals, as well as to measure voters’ ongoing concern about the current twin economic and public health crises.
