Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) wants workers to be the focus of the next COVID-19 relief package — a package he said Congress must pass as the U.S. enters an economic downturn that could be worse than the Great Depression of the 1930s.
The $6 trillion CARES Act, which passed in late March, included $500 billion for corporate bailouts. Sanders wants the next economic stimulus package to focus on providing far-reaching relief to the public as millions lose their jobs and health coverage as a result of the pandemic.
Sanders hasn’t let up on his message in support of the workers. Today is predicted as Sanders’ “last meaningful day as a presidential candidate,” according to a CNN headline. April 7 is the Wisconsin primary, and Sanders is expected to come up short of Sen. Joe Biden, according to available polls.
Still, Sanders is plugging his proposed relief package, which he said must keep workers on the payroll, guarantee paid medical and sick leave for all workers, and provide monthly direct payments of $2,000 each to every person in the U.S., Sanders said.
“Every person” includes the homeless, the unbanked, the undocumented and young adults excluded from the CARES Act, Sanders said on his campaign website.
Sanders also wants Medicare for All to be part of the new package. It must pay all deductibles, co-payments and out-of-pocket healthcare expenses for the uninsured and the underinsured, Sanders said. “No one in America who is sick, regardless of immigration status, should be afraid to seek the medical treatment they need during this national pandemic.”
As part of his proposed COVID-19 relief package, Sanders wants monthly expenses to be suspended for four months covering rent, mortgage payments, medical debt, and consumer debt collection. He’s also calling for an immediate moratorium on evictions, foreclosures, and utility shut-offs.
“No one should lose their home during this crisis and everyone must have access to clean water, electricity, heat and air conditioning,” Sanders said. “And we must restore utility services to any customers who have had their utilities shut off.”
For most of the past five years, Sanders has either been running for president or talking about running for president, “an absolutely remarkable streak of longevity,” wrote Chris Cillizza, CNN editor-at-large.
Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 70: Jamarlin Martin Jamarlin goes solo to discuss the COVID-19 crisis. He talks about the failed leadership of Trump, Andrew Cuomo, CDC Director Robert Redfield, Surgeon General Jerome Adams, and New York Mayor de Blasio.
With the 2020 presidential race all but drowned by coronavirus coverage, Biden has also struggled to attract media attention as he seeks to pull attention away from Trump.
However, Sanders is expected to continue influencing the direction of the Democrat party. “If I’m the nominee I can tell you one thing: I would very much want Bernie to be part of the journey, not as a vice presidential nominee but just engaging in all the things that he’s worked so hard to do, many of which I agree with,” Biden said Tuesday morning, according to CNN.
You can read details of Sanders’ priorities for the next COVID-19 relief package here.
