Citing the coronavirus as not only a public health emergency, but also an economic crisis, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer and the state’s Democratic Legislative Leaders today dispatched an urgent letter to Washington, D.C. urging swift action on COVID Relief measures.
Gov. Whitmer says that she, Senate Democratic Leader Jim Ananich, and House Democratic Leader Christine Greig sent a letter to President Trump, Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, and Kevin McCarthy urging them to take swift action and pass a COVID relief bill that provides support to help combat COVID-19, mitigate its economic fallout, provide support for our schools, and protect frontline workers, restaurants, and small businesses. Whitmer says she invited the Republican leadership in the Legislature to sign the letter as well, but they declined.
The letter warns, “The coronavirus is not only a public health emergency, it is also an economic crisis threatening the livelihoods of our residents and businesses, too. Michigan businesses continue to grapple with the ongoing pandemic, with small businesses especially impacted.” They add, “Any future relief package should also include robust aid to states and localities to help combat the virus, mitigate its economic fallout, and protect essential services. Federal support was critical to enabling Michigan to mount an aggressive pandemic response and stabilize our economy in the early months of the pandemic. Now, during the worst surge we have seen yet, Michigan and states across the country need more support to protect our families, frontline workers and small businesses.”
The leaders also urged the federal government to provide support for Michigan’s unemployed workers, saying, “Nearly 3 million Michigan workers and counting have applied for unemployment benefits since the start of the pandemic, with more than 600,000 still receiving benefits. Rising infections are likely to lead to more layoffs which will only drive this number higher. It is imperative that Congress take action now to extend the UI provisions of the CARES Act, such as Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, to provide relief to those who lost their job through no fault of their own and to bolster the larger economy.”
The governor says that she has repeatedly called on the federal government to pass a bipartisan relief package to help Americans everywhere get through this crisis, with no response from the president, Mitch McConnell, or Republicans in Congress.
To view the letter to the president and Congress, click the link below:
Governor-Gretchen-Whitmer.-Legislature-Letter-on-COVID-Package-11.19.20
