FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
MARCH 18, 2020

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Senate Passes Coronavirus Relief Bill, More Action from Congress Still Necessary 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Today, the Senate passed its version of the next round of a  coronavirus relief bill. Before doing so however, the Senate rejected an amendment along party lines that would have strengthened the House version by mandating two weeks of universal paid leave and three months of paid family or medical leave. Thankfully, the Senate also voted against Sen. Ron Johnson’s (R-WI) amendment to the bill, which proposed eliminating the paid leave provisions in the bill altogether and instead would have shifted the burden to employees to file for benefits through their state unemployment office — a lengthy and cumbersome process.

“The Senate’s passage of the coronavirus relief bill today does not do nearly enough to provide the American people with the support we need during this moment of crisis,” said Tax March Executive Director Maura Quint. “Republicans in Congress stood in the way of all workers having access to paid leave, and instead offered exemptions to big corporations. Congress must pass additional legislation that ensures paid leave for all workers and gives direct help to all those in need and we must ensure they do not use this crisis as an excuse to give tax cuts to industries that have used their previous tax windfalls to invest in their own pocketbooks, rather than in their workers.”

Yesterday, Tax March issued a statement outlining the types of policies our organization and countless people across the country need from Congress right now, including:

1. Direct and immediate cash payments to people and communities most in need of economic stimulus — not big corporations; and
2. Paid leave for ALL workers, with no exemptions for the country’s largest and wealthiest employers.

We will continue to elevate these priorities so long as President Trump and Congress refuse to do enough for the American people in the wake of this global pandemic and economic crisis. While lawmakers work to pass legislation to provide relief from the economic repercussions of the coronavirus, we at Tax March will stand strong with working- and middle-class people whose livelihoods depend on swift and comprehensive solutions from our country’s leaders during this public health emergency.