Thread by @saenzmom

Greater disparities to emerge in Texas as unemployment benefits, protections against evictions and utility shutoffs end.

#DemCastTX #EconmicJustice texastribune.org/2021/06/25/tex… via @TexasTribune

1) "Federal unemployment benefits ended for Texans on Saturday. Their electricity can be cut for nonpayment starting Tuesday. For renters, evictions will begin to proceed normally again at the end of July.

2) “We’re going to see disparity in the coming months as social safety nets are being taken away, and people are going to have to figure out all these things on their own,” said Pia Orrenius, a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas."

3) A U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention order had halted evictions of renters who meet certain criteria, but that will expire at the end of July following this week’s one-month extension — which the agency said will be the final one.

4) A moratorium on electricity disconnection was put in place by state regulators in Feb due to the winter storm that knocked out power to millions of Texans for days, but the PUC lifted it; companies now have to give delinquent customers 10 days’ notice before shutting it off."

5) Losing the extra $300 in benefits will likely change people’s habits, said Orrenius, Dallas Fed economist. The higher unemployment benefits likely prevented an even steeper drop in consumer spending by providing cash to families that needed it when jobs were scarce.

6) Now, consumer spending among low-income households may vanish along with that extra money."

This means less spending, Texas local businesses will bear the brunt of Governor Abbott's cruelty.

No electricity, high rent & childcare, low wages. #DemCastTX

7) Immigrant communities were hard hit by COVID-19 and tend to lack health insurance at higher rates; those families are struggling with medical debt (many didn't qualify, early on, for stimulus checks and federal unemployment benefits if they lived in a mixed-status family).

8) Unvaccinated people are at risk of catching new, more infectious variants of COVID-19 are still spreading.

#DemCastTX #Economy #Heathcare

9) “There’s a robust labor market out there for people, but then there are these other complications haven't gone away,” Orrenius said. “If you think you see disparity now, we’re going to see [more].”

10) Rental Relief, other programs seem like a carrot & stick solution.

"At the same time, she’s about to see her unemployment benefit payments drop by 30% next week.

“That’s when it’s going to start getting real. It’s already real, but it’s going to get tougher.” Saddler said.