Thread by @RepJayapal

People are facing an unprecedented crisis—one that directly impacts their jobs, health care, and daily lives. We must deliver relief, certainty, and a response that matches the scale of the crisis.

While the Heroes Act contains some good components, it fails to achieve that:

I believe we can and must choose differently. That's why I voted no. I believe we must put forward a package that:
🔵Gets paychecks back to workers
🔵Ensures everyone has health care
🔵Helps all businesses to survive this crisis
🔵Protects the rights of workers to get pensions

More than 36 million have already filed for unemployment and 40% of households earning less than $40,000 lost a job. Mass unemployment is a policy choice and we must choose differently.

But this bill does not keep workers in their jobs and guarantee the certainty of paychecks.

We are in the midst of a pandemic where 27 million have lost their health care, joining the 87 million who were already uninsured or underinsured. Now, more than ever, people need health care.

But this bill does not guarantee affordable and accessible health care for everyone.

Employers everywhere are watching in horror as the businesses their workers built fall by the wayside and shutter permanently.

But this bill does not provide enough relief to businesses—including small, medium, & minority-owned businesses—which are the backbone of our economy.

We know businesses are also facing the awful choice of closing permanently or re-opening before it's safe to do so.

But this bill doesn't do enough to tie funding for states to public health guidelines so businesses don't have to worry about putting their workers in harm's way.

In a last second change, the bill also threatens the pensions of working people and harms collective bargaining, undermining existing pension plans and exposing retirees to greater risks. This at a time when we should be strengthening collective bargaining and worker power!

The crisis Americans are facing will not end on its own. We must beat the virus. To beat the virus, we must keep people home. To keep people home, we must make sure they get their paycheck, can access their health care, and don’t feel pressured to return to work before it’s safe.

While this legislation has some good elements, it ultimately does not achieve that. And it fails to match the scale of this crisis. We can and must do better.

We must give people real relief and certainty before this crisis gets worse—because if we fail to do so, it will.