While excluding any funding for direct cash payments to Americans struggling to afford basic necessities amid the Covid-19 pandemic and resulting economic crisis, the purportedly “targeted” relief legislation put forth by Senate Republicans Tuesday calls for a $161 million handout to the coal industry — a proposal Sen. Bernie Sanders condemned as “pathetic.”
“Senate Republicans tell us we can’t afford to give $2,000 a month to the working class during the economic crisis,” tweeted the Vermont senator, but “the Covid-19 ‘relief’ bill they just released provides $161 million in corporate welfare to the coal industry during a climate emergency.”
Sanders pointed to a provision buried in the 285-page GOP bill (pdf) — titled the Delivering Immediate Relief to America’s Families, Schools, and Small Businesses Act — directing the Department of Energy to “carry out a program under which the secretary shall develop advanced separation technologies for the extraction and recovery of rare earth elements and minerals from coal and coal byproducts.”
How pathetic. While Senate Republicans tell us we can't afford to give $2,000 a month to the working class during the economic crisis, the COVID-19 "relief" bill they just released provides $161 million in corporate welfare to the coal industry during a climate emergency. pic.twitter.com/TfusIjAvp4
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) September 8, 2020
The massive coal industry handout was just one of many provisions crammed in the so-called “skinny” relief bill that progressive advocacy groups and Democratic lawmakers denounced as unacceptable.
Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president of Public Citizen, said in a statement that the new legislation spotlights the extent to which “Senate Republicans’ priorities are completely upside down,” pointing to the measure’s proposal of a sweeping liability shield for corporations that expose workers and customers to Covid-19.
“They’re against providing state and local governments with critical aid to fund public services and schools but in favor of granting businesses immunity from lawsuits related to the coronavirus,” said Gilbert. “The pandemic is already widening social and economic divisions. Shielding corporations from accountability will endanger workers, consumers, and patients, and make the pandemic even worse.”
Imagine watching your citizens plead for relief from an economically devastating pandemic and thinking:
"Quick! We must grant businesses immunity from lawsuits related to the virus!"
This is Mitch McConnell's COVID bill.
— Public Citizen (@Public_Citizen) September 8, 2020
The price tag of the Republican proposal was pegged at around $300 billion, making the bill dramatically smaller than the $1 trillion plan the Senate GOP rolled out in July — a proposal that was also deemed woefully inadequate to meet the needs of tens of millions of hungry, jobless, and eviction-prone Americans.
The new bill calls for a $300-per-week federal boost to unemployment benefits, just half of the $600 weekly supplement Republicans allowed to expire at the end of July; $105 billion for education and tax credits for “private-school scholarships“; $250 billion for the Paycheck Protection Program; and forgiveness of a $10 billion loan to the U.S. Postal Service approved under a previous relief package.
In a speech on the Senate floor late Tuesday, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said the Senate will vote on the bill this week even though it is widely expected to fail due to lack of Democratic support and divisions within the Republican caucus.
“Every senator who has said they want a bipartisan outcome for the country will have the chance to vote, for everyone to see,” said McConnell. “Senators will vote this week. And the American people will be watching.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) said McConnell’s push for a rapid vote on a Republican bill that’s “certain to fail” is “one of the cynical things I have ever seen in politics.”
“This new emaciated Republican Covid proposal fails to meet the needs of the American people,” Schumer tweeted.
Kyle Herrig, president of watchdog group Accountable.US, said in a statement late Tuesday that the Senate GOP’s latest plan is “a slap in the face to the millions of Americans struggling to provide for their families during this crisis.”
“Without adequate support for people who have lost their jobs or sufficient funds to help small businesses stay afloat,” added Herrig, “it’s clear that lawmakers are more interested in helping the president and his allies with this bill than the workers who need support most.”
Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One
Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.
Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.
Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.
As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.
And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.
In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.
We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.
We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $81,000 in one-time donations and to add 1250 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31.
Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.
If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!
With gratitude and resolve,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy