Media Advisory: Rep. Rashida Tlaib and Dr. Stephanie Kelton Discuss Direct Economic Relief

None of the economic relief measures passed by Congress thus far meet the scale of the need during the COVID-19 pandemic and economic crisis. With roughly 20 percent of the U.S. workforce newly out of work and with new coronavirus infections projected to reach 200,000 per day by June 1, Congress must give unemployed Americans adequate support and give workers an alternative to risking their lives and their families' lives to pay the bills.

Tomorrow, May 7, People's Action's Shawn Sebastian will host a livestream event with U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., and economist Stephanie Kelton to discuss meeting the scale of the COVID19 crisis with Tlaib's Automatic BOOST to Communities Act.

Who:

U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.

Tlaib has represented Detroit in Congress since 2019 and before that in the Michigan Statehouse. Tlaib is a well-known progressive warrior and, in her own words, "a mother working for justice for all." She is the oldest of 14 children, born and raised in Detroit, the proud daughter of Palestinian immigrant parents. Tlaib's remarks will be pre-recorded.

Stephanie Kelton

Stephanie Kelton is a professor of economics and public policy at Stony Brook University. She is a former Chief Economist on the U.S. Senate Budget Committee (Democratic staff) and economic adviser to the Bernie Sanders campaign. Her highly-anticipated book, The Deficit Myth, will be published June 9, 2020. She was named by Politico as one of the 50 most influential people influencing the policy debate in the U.S.

What:

"Money to the People! Meeting the Scale of COVID19," a livestream event hosted by People's Action

When:

Thursday, May 7, at 5 p.m. Eastern

Where:

The event will be streamed live at:

https://facebook.com/pplsaction; and

https://www.crowdcast.io/e/money-to-the-people/register.

Why:

We need money to the people now! Rent is due, bills keep coming, and we need to put food on the table, but over 30 million of us are among the newly unemployed. Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib will tell us about her plan to give everyone a $2,000 check every month until this crisis is over and why it must be included in the next stimulus bill. Economist Stephanie Kelton will explain that we can do all the things we need to do-provide free testing, get money to the people, and fund a massive jobs program to get us back to work. The restraint isn't resources; it's political will.