Truthout
Economy & Labor
![Bernie Sanders Fights for Laid-off Worker Protections in $2 Trillion Stimulus with Corporate Bailout](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/03/SEG2-Bernie-Corona-Update-2-400x300.jpg)
Sanders Fights for Worker Protections in $2 Trillion Stimulus Package
The Senate's unanimously approved historic emergency relief package includes a large corporate bailout fund.
![Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell gives a thumbs up sign as he arrives at the U.S. Capitol on March 25, 2020, in Washington, D.C.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/03/2020_0326-mitch-mcconnell-400x300.jpg)
The Senate Has Passed the Largest Corporate Bailout in US History
The package establishes a $4.5 trillion fund to bail out large corporations with little to no enforceable restrictions.
![Donald Trump looks at a bill alongside mike pence](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/03/2020_0325-trump-pence-400x300.jpg)
New Stimulus Bill Bans Trump-Owned Companies From Receiving Bailout Cash
The bill also bans companies owned by Vice President Mike Pence or members of Congress from receiving stimulus funds.
![Traders wear masks in the new york stock exchange](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/03/2020_0325-nyse-400x300.jpg)
To Confront Coronavirus, We Need an Emergency Wealth Tax
A one-time 3 percent wealth tax on the world’s richest 10 percent could raise $9 trillion toward economic recovery.
![Donald Trump looks downward](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/03/2020_0325-donald-trump-400x300.jpg)
The COVID-19 Crisis Won’t Be Over by Easter, and $2 Trillion Is Not Enough
Trump's claim that this will end by Easter cannot rationally exist in the same universe as the $2 trillion aid package.
![A worker stocks up on groceries at a local supermarket on March 20, 2020, in the Brooklyn borough of New York.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/03/2020_0324-grocery-store-400x300.jpg)
States Should Designate Grocery Workers as “Essential Personnel” Without Delay
Grocery workers are working for us at considerable personal risk; we need to act now to protect them.
![Mitch Mcconnell](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/03/2020_0323-mitch-mcconnell-400x300.jpg)
As Senate GOP Bill Flounders, Demands for Workers-First Stimulus Grow
Republicans failed to pass a $1.8 trillion stimulus package Democrats condemned as a massive bailout for corporations.
![A line of people stand and watch as a us army helicopter kicks up dust upon its departure](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/03/2020_0323-us-army-400x300.jpg)
Beyond the Economic Chaos of Coronavirus Is a Global War Economy
In the face of excessive capital accumulation, war and repression have become profit centers for the capitalist class.
![A screen shows the graph of the Dow Jones Industrial Average after closing bell at the New York Stock Exchange on March 18, 2020, at Wall Street in New York City.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/03/GettyImages-1207623561-400x300.jpg)
The Last Recession Led to an Unequal Recovery. We Can Choose a Different Path.
Officials will need to decide whether to protect Wall Street or support the most fragile communities and families.
![Joachim, 8, whose school was closed following the Coronavirus outbreak, does school exercises at home with his dad Pierre-Yves in Washington on March 20, 2020.](https://truthout.org/app/uploads/2020/03/2020_0320-paid-sick-leave-400x300.jpg)
New Federal Sick Leave Law Fails to Protect Many Workers From COVID-19 Threat
The bad news is that the law does not provide blanket coverage for all workers. Instead, it’s a confusing mess.