WASHINGTON, D.C. – The July jobs report shows U.S. unemployment remains in recession, with the jobless rate hovering in the double digits at 10.2 percent. The Labor Department is reporting an even more alarming 14.6% unemployment rate in the African American community, which follows yesterday’s milestone of more than a million Americans filing for initial unemployment benefits for the twentieth week running. And yet, after Congress allowed the CARES Act’s enhanced $600 federal unemployment benefit to expire last week and with the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program set to end tomorrow, President Trump’s Senate allies have been given permission by Leader Mitch McConnell to head home on vacation without passing a new coronavirus relief package.

It must be easy for Trump’s Senate allies to decide crisis legislating is too hard and head home when they enjoy taxpayer-funded time off, Cadillac health insurance, and a lifetime pension. The millions of out-of-work families that now have less money to feed their families and avoid eviction thanks to Congress’ inaction wish they had that kind of security. Vacation can wait. Congress is on borrowed time to pass a serious relief package that gets help to the workers and small businesses that are still reeling in the Trump recession -- the kind of help they delivered to big businesses, the wealthy, and well-connected throughout this crisis. If double-digit unemployment isn’t enough for Senators to do their jobs, what is?”

Kyle Herrig, president of Accountable.US
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