Washington, DC, July 30th, 2020. This morning, with less than 100 days to go before one of the most important elections of our lifetime, Greenpeace USA activists placed life-size images of essential workers and six key senators on the lawn of the Capitol. Congress must do its job to protect essential workers and our elections, and pass the HEROES Act.
The accompanying banner reads: Choose the People. Pass the HEROES Act NOW.
Photos will be available here [1].
The Senators represent key states and the majority leader, including Senator McSally from Arizona, Senator Gardner from Colorado, Senator Collins from Maine, Senator Tillis from North Carolina, Senator Loeffler from Georgia, and Senator McConnell from Kentucky.
In May, the U.S. House passed the HEROES Act — a $3 trillion bill designed to help support families across the country who are struggling to pay bills, to support essential workers across the country who are putting their own lives at risk to take care of all of us, and expand our access to safely vote this fall. In response, Republican Senators have called the bill “dead on arrival” and a “liberal wish list”. The HEROES Act marks critical progress towards protecting essential workers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis and building a more people-powered democracy. On the day John Lewis laid in state in the U.S. Capitol, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced the GOP response to the HEROES Act. The HEALS Act, which has zero funding for elections, essential workers, and the USPS, is simply not good enough.
Folabi Olagbaju, Greenepace USA Democracy Campaign Director said:
“A healthy democracy is a precondition for a healthy environment. Our time to act is now. If we get it right, we have the chance to navigate out of two crises at once — the pandemic and the climate crisis. Essential workers depend on it. Struggling working families depend on it. States desperately need this funding to make voting safe and fair. And, all of us who will cast our vote in November depend on it. We are calling on these Senators to do their job. Now is the time for bold action from our elected officials. They must rise to the occasion and pass the HEROES Act now.”
The Senate must provide urgent relief and approve the House-passed $3.6 billion for expansion of vote-by-mail, early voting, and online and same day registration, so that states have enough time to make the necessary changes to expand vote-by-mail and early voting, recruit and train workers, buy equipment, and do outreach to the public about new voting processes.
On July 31, unemployment benefits run out for many American families just as rent is coming due. There is no time to waste.
ENDS
[1] https://media.greenpeace.org/shoot/27MDHUO0Y4R
Contact: Valentina Stackl, Greenpeace USA Senior Communications Specialist, [email protected], (734) 276 6260
