FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
MARCH 27, 2020

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House Passes Coronavirus Package Without Removing Corporate Slush Fund

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, in order to get some relief into the hands of those who need it, the House was forced to pass the third coronavirus relief bill, which had been drafted by Senate Republicans. The GOP made sure to include a $500 billion slush fund under Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin’s grip that could be leveraged into a whopping $4.3 trillion bailout fund for bad-acting industries like airlines and telecom corporations. 

“While crowdfunding platforms like GoFundMe are straining from demand as people resort to begging strangers on the internet for money for rent and insulin, Republican Senators and the President of the United States decided to commit more than $4 trillion to bail out their CEO pals,” said Tax March Campaign Director Dana Bye. “They held millions of sick, struggling, unemployed and terrified people hostage to make sure they could slide their rich friends a blank check to escape this economic crisis scot-free, and they backed opponents of their corruption against the wall — ‘pass our bill, or we won’t provide any relief for the American people.’ ”

It is essential that any future plans look more like what Speaker Pelosi presented this past Monday and help ordinary people and Main Street businesses first. That means ongoing direct cash transfers and universal paid sick leave. 

Until Congress passes legislation bailing out workers — not corporations — real economic relief will be stunted.