The American People Deserve Better
9 months into a global pandemic that has rocked our country’s economy, we find thousands of businesses and millions of Americans on the precipice of financial ruin. Rather than tackle the virus head on with leadership on the federal level, our state, our county, and our towns have been left to fend for themselves. And now a few days before Christmas, Congress has come to an agreement to provide a whopping $600 to people making roughly $75,000/year or less.
This means tested $600 is nowhere near enough for 9 months’ worth of expenses. Millions of Americans face eviction this month and many more will be evicted in the coming year due to the drop in their income, so rather than provide a form of rent relief, Congress decided $600 was enough. For many people living in Bucks County, this would barely cover half of a month’s rent.
For young people living in Bucks, we have had a moratorium on student loan interest accumulation since the pandemic began, but with $1.5 trillion in outstanding student loan debt $600 would only cover one or two payments at the bare minimum when we return to a normal payment cycle.
Millions of Americans lost their health insurance since March and with rising healthcare costs and increases in prescription drug prices, someone with diabetes here in Bucks could pay for only two vials (or two months’ worth) of insulin with this $600.
Small business is the backbone of Doylestown and it is a major reason why I love living here but the provisions in this relief bill are not enough to provide for owners and workers. PPP loans were ineffective at reaching small businesses and another round of them will likely prove the same. Tax breaks for small businesses are useless when they do not have revenue for the year. A worker who has been furloughed or has lost their job cannot live on $600.
Even if we gave the $600 to every single person in this country, it would still be less than a third of the $900 billion set aside for this bill. The American people need and deserve much more.
Whether you are a student, a business owner, or a retiree $600 will not alleviate the burden on working class Bucks County residents. We must demand more of our representatives and target our frustrations towards those who have the power to make change happen and that is our federal government.