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US Congress Running Out of Time to Address COVID-19 Economic Impact

Katherine Gypson

   WASHINGTON - Millions of Americans are unemployed this holiday season
   due to the closures brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Millions
   more are facing economic uncertainty and concerns about access to
   testing and health care resources.

   But as the holiday season begins amid surging numbers of infections,
   that reality has not broken the monthslong political deadlock on
   Capitol Hill over addressing the financial impact of the pandemic.

   According to unemployment numbers released Wednesday, more than 770,000
   people filed new claims last week. While that number is not close to
   the record high reached earlier this year at the beginning of the
   pandemic, it does mark the second week of rising unemployment numbers.

   U.S. lawmakers from both parties agree the American people need a new
   round of aid to address unemployment, food insecurity and access to
   health care. But this Thanksgiving week, lawmakers are back in their
   home districts, and food banks in the nation's capital are facing
   record demand.

   Lining up for food

   "Pre-pandemic, we had 400,000 individuals. It's now closer to 600,000
   food-insecure individuals. So, in eight months, that number has gone up
   by just about 60%," said Radha Muthiah, president and CEO of
   Washington, D.C.-based Capital Area Food Bank.

   "We see working families and individuals who were able to live and make
   it paycheck to paycheck before, and they had multiple jobs in their
   household. But now, when one or two or more of those jobs are no longer
   available, and they find themselves unemployed on all fronts, they're
   navigating an emergency food assistance network that they never had to
   before," said Muthiah.

   A [1]September 2020 Pew Research Center study found that one in six
   Americans had borrowed money from a family member or used a food bank
   since the beginning of the pandemic. The study also found that 25% of
   U.S. adults say they or someone in their household lost their job or
   was temporarily laid off because of the closures brought on by the
   pandemic.

References

   1. https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2020/09/24/economic-fallout-from-covid-19-continues-to-hit-lower-income-americans-the-hardest/

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