COVID-19
September 1 COVID-19 Policy & Black Communities Roundup
Speaker Pelosi Rejects White House Stimulus Offer as Insufficient Last week, efforts to reach agreement on a new round of coronavirus relief measures stymied, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) rejected a $1.3 trillion bill offered by the White House. After a conversation with White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, Speaker Pelosi explained that…
August 25 COVID-19 Policy & Black Communities Roundup
Pressure Mounts to Fully Fund U.S. Postal Service On Saturday, the House interrupted its summer recess for a rare weekend session to pass legislation to prevent the U.S. Postal Service from implementing operational changes that could threaten the timely delivery of mail-in ballots for the November elections. The legislation passed would also provide $25 billion…
August 18 COVID-19 Policy & Black Communities Roundup
Kamala Harris Announced as Vice Presidential Candidate for Joe Biden Last week, Democratic Presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden announced Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) as his running mate, making the Senator the first Black and South Asian woman to run on a major political party’s presidential ticket. Senator Harris has introduced a number of…
August 11 COVID-19 Policy & Black Communities Roundup
Stimulus Negotiations Stalled Stimulus legislation negotiations between Republicans and Democrats collapsed late last week, as many Americans face economic hardship and evictions (the $600 per week supplemental federal unemployment insurance benefit expired July 31 and the moratorium on evictions from federally-backed rental properties expired July 25). House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said that the Trump Administration…
August 5 COVID-19 Policy & Black Communities Roundup
Congress and Administration Continue to Negotiate Coronavirus Relief Democrats and the Trump Administration continued their negotiations in the wake of an economic crisis fueled by the July 31 expiration the $600 weekly federal unemployment benefit enjoyed by millions of Americans, the July 24 expiration of the federal moratorium on evictions, and new spikes in unemployment…
Pandemic Relief Priorities for Black Communities
By LaShonda Brenson Ph.D., Jessica Fulton, and Spencer Overton While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately harm Black communities in the United States, Congress and the Trump Administration have failed to come to an agreement on a fourth legislative package that will bring relief to millions in our nation.1 Granted, the relief package should direct…
July 28 COVID-19 Policy & Black Communities Roundup
Senate Republicans Release Stimulus Plan Which Democrats Call “Woefully Inadequate” Yesterday Republicans released key parts of their stimulus plan—the HEALS Act (health, economic assistance, liability protection, and schools). Instead of including a flat $600 per week federal unemployment benefit (which is set to expire this Friday), the bill would set the sum at $200 per…
July 20 COVID-19 Policy & Black Communities Roundup
Senate Democrats Introduce a $350 Billion Stimulus Bill With the expanded $600 per week federal unemployment benefit set to expire at the end of this month and the White House open to compromise on the issue, Democrats and Republicans return to Washington this week and continue to debate over whether and how to extend jobless…
July 13 COVID-19 Policy & Black Communities Roundup
Still No Decisions on Coronavirus Relief Extensions Division remains on the size of the next stimulus package, with Democrats calling for at least double the $1 trillion limit proposed by the Trump Administration. Democrats—led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)—are resisting calls from the GOP to protect businesses from lawsuits that may be filed by…
Joint Center Briefing on Voting, Black Communities, and the Next Stimulus with Congresswoman Marcia Fudge (D-OH)
On Wednesday, July 8, the Joint Center convened a panel of experts for an online policy forum with Congresswoman Marcia Fudge (D-OH) to discuss safe and fair elections in the midst of a pandemic, opportunities to increase Black voter turnout, and preserving the integrity of elections. In addition to Congresswoman Fudge, Chair of the U.S.…