Millions of Americans who were put out of work due to the botched response to the coronavirus pandemic by the Trump administration are set to lose their pandemic unemployment benefits soon, as the provision outlined under the CARES Act allocating an additional $600 per week is set to expire.
Given that a staggering 1.4 million additional Americans filed for unemployment last week, making it the 18th week straight in this country that the weekly job claims have topped 1 million, it’s strikingly clear that now is not the time to be cutting back on benefits that allow people to feed and clothe their families as Trump continues to bungle his response to the virus.
However, when asked yesterday if a bill to extend these benefits would be passed through the Senate before the program’s expiration date, Senator Mitch McConnell simply laughed out loud before answering with a resounding “No.”
Now, throngs of protesters have flocked to the Senate Majority Leader’s DC home to let him know that they’re not okay with that answer.
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Dozens of individuals that found themselves unemployed due to the virus and counting on that addition $600 weekly payment to survive headed to McConnell’s Capitol Hill home to demand that he extend the additional unemployment benefits.
“Without the $600, we would be in dire straits,” DC protester LaMarr Houston, who has a family of seven, said. “With the kids being home during the pandemic, it helps an awful lot, because there’s always something needed, there’s always something that has to be done.”
The band of pissed-off constituents didn’t stop at a foot protest. Two trucks, one featuring an electronic billboard and the other pulling a band playing go-go music with a banner reading “Mitch Better Have My Money” accompanied the protests.
The go-go truck is on the move again. It is followed by a caravan of cars of supporters. Turns out that was a large percentage of the traffic jam apparently.
3rd and C streets Northeast are clearing up from traffic. pic.twitter.com/MvHn33ENnA— Tom Roussey (@tomrousseyABC7) July 22, 2020
Ultimately, the protests and trucks were able to get within about a half a block of McConnell’s DC digs — as close as the U.S. Capitol Police and truck restrictions near the Capitol would allow them to get.
“What has helped millions of people survive — just barely survive — has been this pandemic unemployment insurance of 600 dollars a week,” one protest organizer, Ana Maria Archila, said. “It is all of our money. They should be giving it to people to survive instead of giving it to corporations that don’t need it.”
Thus far, Senate Republicans have yet to come to an agreement on an additional coronavirus relief bill, leaving millions of Americans up in the air as to how they will feed their families.
Let’s hope Mitch gets the hint when he can’t sleep through the protests.
Featured image via Flickr/Gage Skidmore, under Creative Commons license 2.0
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