In response to the COVID emergency relief and appropriations package that will likely pass the House and Senate, Greenpeace USA Democracy Campaign Director Folabi Olagbaju, said:
“This sweeping catchall package is a step in the right direction but simply not good enough to meet the magnitude of the moment. A one-time $600 check doesn’t make up for the months without support. While there will be many more details that will come to light as we analyze this behemoth package, what we do know is that we need immediate investments for families, essential workers, and our democracy — not measures that prioritize corporate profits over people.
“Of particular concern are three bad money-in-politics riders attached to the bill: one that restricts the Treasury/IRS from using funds to regulate political activities by specific ‘dark money’ groups, one that prohibits SEC from using funds to force companies to disclose political contributions made via trade associations and non-profit front groups, and a third that prohibits the federal government from forcing companies to make additional political spending disclosures in order to be eligible to bid on federal contracts. The passage of H.R. 1, the For the People Act, is essential to addressing the systemic corruption that currently plagues the federal government’s way of doing business.
“This emergency relief is filled with secret giveaways, loopholes, and tax breaks for the rich, while leaving families to deal with starvation and poverty alone. We urge the Biden-Harris administration to move an additional people’s relief package in January with substantial survival payments to millions of working families struggling to put food on the table, pay their rent, and receive basic healthcare.”
Additionally, Greenpeace USA Climate Campaigner Ashley Thomson, said:
“As we continue to confront the interwoven crises of climate change, structural racism, inequality, and COVID-19, we must demand nothing short of transformational change from Washington. Because so little has been done over the past few years, this bipartisan emphasis on climate change is a step forward, but at the same time, it is missing important pieces, such as a timeline to phase off of fossil fuels while providing adequate relief and transition assistance to workers, and an explicit commitment to environmental justice to support communities disproportionately impacted by pollution. We still need much more to meet the magnitude of this moment.
“It’s time for our government to stop bailing out corporate polluters with massive handouts to billionaire CEOs only to have them turn around and fire their workers. It’s time for legislation that staves off the worst impacts of the climate crisis and addresses root causes.
“We believe that the next Congress, and under a Biden-Harris administration, can lead us towards the future we deserve by passing a COVID-19 recovery package that puts millions of people back to work in an economy that prioritizes racial, climate, and economic justice. The THRIVE Agenda is a progressive vision for what our future could look like if we get fossil fuel executives and their pandering politicians out of the way and deliver on the promise of a Green New Deal.”
