Right now, we face the gravest challenge since World War II. Coronavirus has taken more than 80,000 lives in the United States, changed the way we live and battered our economy. Whether we are mourning a loved one, worrying about those sick, coping with sudden unemployment or adjusting to a new normal of sheltering at home, we are all affected.
The stay-at-home orders are saving lives, and we must comply with them. But those life-saving measures have cost tens of millions of Americans their jobs and financial security, and left millions more anxious they will lose their jobs next.
While it may be cold comfort, economists say that the worst part of the economic storm is upon us. As the surge abates, we can — cautiously — ramp up and the economy will gradually improve. The recovery will take longer than we want and it will leave too many behind, especially until a vaccine is approved. But a recovery will come.
The question is, how do we get there with the least possible damage? Our commitment must be to help working families weather this crisis. Stay-at-home orders bar many from working. We have a moral responsibility to help those workers who have lost their jobs or face reduced hours and drastically less income. We cannot leave them behind.
Many of those who lost work could barely afford any loss of income even before the crisis. Last year, if faced with an unexpected expense of $400, 39 percent of Americans would not have been able to cover the expense without borrowing money or selling something. One in six adults were already unable to pay all their bills each month before the pandemic.People of every income group are among the more than 26 million Americans who filed for unemployment over the past 1 1/2 months. For many, losing weeks of pay means financial disaster.
During World War II, Winston Churchill said, “When you’re going through hell, keep going.” We are in hell right now, and in order to keep going, we need to help our dislocated workers and our beleaguered small business owners.
First, Congress must tackle the health crisis at the heart of this by funding the health care system. Second, we need a robust and well-administered unemployment insurance program and generous food assistance to help families get by until they can return to work.
Third, the federal government must provide desperately needed aid to the state and local governments that are leading the response to this crisis. Fourth, we must continue to refine the Paycheck Protection Act to ensure that it prioritizes assistance to the hardest-hit small businesses.
Finally, we will need a stimulus bill, one that isn’t just roads and bridges and ports. It must build a 21st century infrastructure that is resilient, including strengthening broadband for rural areas, prioritizing renewable energy and strengthening our health care system.
There have been few moments in my career when I have truly believed that the risk of spending too little federal revenue exceeded the risk of spending too much. But this is that moment.
The pandemic is the most serious economic earthquake since the Great Depression. Future federal budgets will require agonizing choices to restore balance, which I will not shrink from when the appropriate moment arrives. But the priority right now must be substantial aid, delivered quickly to those who are suffering.
As discouraging as these times can be, a path forward exists — one that is ethical and responsible. We may not yet know the cure for this virus, but we know how to keep families safe from hunger and homelessness. We must decide to do it.
Through history, Americans have always come together in support of one another when it matters most. Even the past four years can’t erase that tradition. It’s who we still are.
Rep. Mike Thompson represents the Fifth Congressional District, which includes northern Contra Costa County, Napa and Santa Rosa.
