Call today to urge Congress to Fund the Front Lines!
Senate call in # 1.888.981.9704
House call in # 1.855.329.5629
Americans agree — 74% of the public says it’s “extremely important” for federal aid to prioritize states, cities, counties and schools, especially Medicaid and education.
For nearly a year, public service workers – nurses, teachers, EMS, custodians, corrections officers, child care providers and so many more – have stood courageously on the front lines of the fight against the pandemic, doing everything in their power to keep their communities safe, healthy and strong. Despite risking their lives to save us, 1.4 million of these front-line public service workers have been laid off due to budget shortfalls caused by the pandemic, nearly double the total number of jobs lost during the entire Great Recession. We can’t beat this pandemic, distribute the vaccine or get our country back to work if we thank these everyday heroes with pink slips.
The unprecedented job loss in the public sector disproportionately affects women and people of color, and the cuts to public services caused by the pandemic hurt every community –in blue and red states alike. President Biden has put forward a bold stimulus plan that has exactly the right priorities. Robust, unrestricted aid is critical to quickly distributing the vaccine, preventing our children from falling behind, reopening shuttered businesses, and eliminating cuts to essential public services that will prolong the health and economic crisis. To build back better, we must not repeat the harmful austerity cuts enacted in the wake of the Great Recession which left us unprepared to face this pandemic in the first place.
Federal support for states, cities, towns and schools is essential for maintaining the public services that communities depend on, including public safety, health care, schools and sanitation. Without this assistance there will be massive cuts in critical services and layoffs of millions more workers, many of whom are on the front lines and are essential to fighting the pandemic and educating our children. Functioning public services such as health care, safe schools and transportation will make it possible to reopen our economy safely, help businesses and get people back to work.
The public overwhelmingly supports federal aid to maintain public services, beat the pandemic and safely reopen the economy. Not only are 84% of Americans in favor of it, but they are more worried that we will not spend enough to beat the pandemic, rather than being concerned about the price tag. In key states like Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Maine, Montana, North Carolina and Ohio, this aid is overwhelmingly popular.
President Biden has put forward a plan that has all the right priorities, and aid for our states, counties, cities, schools and tribes should not be left behind this time. Calls for help are coming from all sectors of our economy. Governors and mayors, public transit systems, scientists, health care professionals, business leaders, economists, small business owners, restaurants and the travel industry all agree that relief is needed on an aggressive scale to beat this pandemic and bring our economy back from the brink. Leading economists, including Moody’s Mark Zandi, note that priority No. 1 for the next stimulus package should be state and local aid, predicting a return of $1.70 for every dollar invested. A comprehensive solution is the only answer.
