Our @JLSullivan spoke yesterday on #COVID19andRace on an informative panel yesterday moderated by @LABudgetProject & @ReillyCenter. Here’s a quick recap of what she talked about & where to find more information. You can watch the full discussion here:
In Louisiana, 70% of #COVID19 deaths were African Americans, despite making up only a 1/3 of the state’s population. And while the disparity is stark in Louisiana, it’s a very similar story across the country.
“This is shocking, but not new. It’s shining a light on an uncomfortable truth many of us have known all along. As long as we live in a society that doesn’t prioritize health equity, low-income people & people of color will carry an unequal burden.” - @JLSullivan
“Too often, people of color have experienced years of economic hardship, received lesser quality health care, & have been segregated into neighborhoods that lack access to nutritious food, green space, & all of the things that we know shape health.”
“States are suffering right now and they’re going to suffer a lot more in the months & years to come. If we don’t do enough to help states recover, we are going to put other public health priorities at risk.” - @JLSullivan
“These priorities are essential for protecting & improving health for communities of color like maternal mortality & environmental quality & water quality.”
The jobs report released last week showed that 140,000 jobs were lost in December. The latest #CovidRelief bill doesn't provide enough relief. The larger risk for the nation isn't providing enough economic stimulus & hardship relief.
People of color, who have experienced disproportionate hardship in the pandemic & recession, & who historically have waited longest to see the fruits of an economic recovery, are also the most at-risk right now.
Private & government payrolls combined fell by 140,000 jobs, which is larger in percentage than the deficit in the worst month of the Great Recession (6.3%). Long-term unemployment of 27 weeks+ again rose sharply, & racial disparities in employment outcomes remained wide.
Thread: today, new data from the Census Pulse show that millions of Americans are still struggling to afford food and rent. This economic crisis is far from over for many, and policymakers need to do more to make sure families can put food on the table. /1 #COVIDRelief
Census data from September 2-14 show that about 10% of all adults reported their household sometimes or often didn’t have enough to eat in the last 7 days, more than twice the share of adults who reported this at any point in 2019 (3.7%). /2
Because of longstanding inequities exacerbated by the pandemic, the shares of Black and Latino adults reporting their households aren’t getting enough to eat are more than DOUBLE the share of white adults reporting this. /3
.@AvivaAronDine also addresses the real threat that the Affordable Care Act the ACA including Medicaid expansion could disappear altogether, right in the middle of the crisis, because SCOTUS is hearing the Trump administration case against it.
@AvivaAronDine Striking down the law would end protections for people with pre-existing conditions, including the millions of Americans who have just acquired a pre-existing condition because they had #COVID19. #ProtectOurCare
Thread: Yesterday’s announcements by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) & Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) might be welcome news for some homeowners, but it changes little for renters.
Here’s why 👇👇
These actions stop renter evictions only for the very small share of renters that may be living in single-family homes owned by Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac as a result of foreclosure.
Millions of other renters are behind on rent, & 8 million kids live in these homes. There is only one way to provide them with real help: a robust, bipartisan, #COVIDRelief bill that provides rental assistance & protects people from eviction.
Thread: HUD is reportedly preparing to extend a moratorium that protects some homeowners (those with Federal #Housing Admin. mortgages) from foreclosures through the end of the year.
Here's why that's not nearly enough to address the ongoing crisis.
This limited relief appears to do little or nothing to protect the large number of renters struggling to keep a roof over their heads. That’s because the measure only applies to mortgage lenders who have no say in evictions outside of very limited (& infrequent) situations.
This comes as 21% of all renters were behind on their rent in July with Black & Hispanic renters facing substantially higher housing hardships than white renters.