Senate's Inadequate Relief Bill Failed

This afternoon, lawmakers voted down GOP senators' limited, lacking relief measure just two days after the chamber returned from its month-long vacation. The "skinny bill" was widely criticized as a too little, too late effort to address the hurricane of chaos and hardship facing Americans as COVID-19 continues to rage: widespread food insecurity, an incumbent wave of evictions, and financial crises in the states that could further threaten public safety.

Moreover, 29.6 million Americans are now relying on jobless benefits--and still struggling to make ends meet now that the enhanced $600 unemployment boost has run out. And as overall unemployment in the U.S. fell last month, for Black women it rose to a troubling 27%. Despite all this, the Senate bill focused on helping big businesses through blanket corporate immunity measures.

"The 'skinny bill' was designed as a boon for corporate executives concerned with protecting themselves and their pockets rather than workers," said Kyle Herrig, president of Accountable.US. "Now that the bill has failed, it's time for Congress to get serious about putting together a relief bill that prioritizes getting relief to struggling Americans and their families, not the wealthy and well-connected."