Third Way Statement on the 2nd Coronavirus Aid Package

WASHINGTON — Third Way issued the following statement from Jim Kessler, Executive Vice President for Policy:

"This is not a moment to mince words: thank God Congress came together to pass the second multi-billion dollar package to help Americans dealing with this global pandemic. But work cannot stop there: Congress must now do even more, and they must do it immediately.

"The first Congressional responses to this crisis were critical. Funding to vaccine R&D and state and local public heath efforts were essential steps in this fight. And the recent work to bolster unemployment insurance, guarantee free diagnostic tests, and provide paid sick leave are absolutely crucial for American workers and their families.

"Now is the time to go even bolder, even bigger, and even faster. We need a massive aid package to mitigate the economic effects of the crisis that could upend life in the country as we know it. That means ensuring our health response meets the enormous scale of the crisis, protecting health care workers, building surge capacity as more people get sick, guaranteeing universal coverage for coronavirus treatments and ensuring that no one goes without the vital care they already need. It also means an economic response that is to scale, ensuring that all American workers have a far bigger safety net to catch them: immediate cash assistance, forbearance on outstanding debts, wage insurance, and a greatly expanded unemployment insurance system. Finally, we must ensure that American employers can survive this crisis. We need an aggressive package to keep American small businesses afloat, and we must make sure that support for large employers is used to protect their workers and keep their doors open and manufacturing lines running—not padding the pockets of corporate executives.

"This Congress has shown it can work together in this time of need and that they understand that we live in a new world. That spirit and that insight must continue. If we err in this package, let the error be on the large side not the small side."