Democracy

The Hill: Senate adjourns until September without COVID-19 relief package

By Alanna Joyner / August 17, 2020 / Comments Off on The Hill: Senate adjourns until September without COVID-19 relief package

Last Thursday, the Senate adjourned until September 8, without reaching a deal for the next round of coronavirus relief legislation. The lack of a deal leaves millions of Americans in financial peril, as the $600 per week federal unemployment benefit, the nationwide moratorium on evictions and the window to apply for Paycheck Protection Program small…

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NPR: Census Cuts All Counting Efforts Short By A Month

By Alanna Joyner / August 12, 2020 / Comments Off on NPR: Census Cuts All Counting Efforts Short By A Month

Last week, the U.S. Census Bureau announced that its ending all counting efforts, including door knocks, responses by mail, over the phone and online, for the 2020 census on Sept. 30 — a month sooner than previously announced.  The last minute change imposed by the Trump administration, could threaten the accuracy of population numbers, especially…

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Mail Delays And Lack Of Funding Fuel Concern Trump Is Undercutting Postal System Ahead of Voting

By Alanna Joyner / August 11, 2020 / Comments Off on Mail Delays And Lack Of Funding Fuel Concern Trump Is Undercutting Postal System Ahead of Voting

Trump has continued his relentless attack on vote-by-mail elections as many are considering the alternative option due to the pandemic. And as the Postal Service announced its three month $2.2 billion loss, its dire financial situation can be traced back to decades of attempts to privatize the mail carrier. Since the first negotiation of the…

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WRAL: Relief packages should be about helping Americans, not just boosting Trump’s reelection

By Alanna Joyner / August 10, 2020 / Comments Off on WRAL: Relief packages should be about helping Americans, not just boosting Trump’s reelection

On Saturday, Trump signed three memoranda and one executive order at his exclusive New Jersey golf resort, ahead of any stimulus bill agreement between the House and Senate. In an attempt to appear to come to the nation’s rescue, Trump’s measures would provide $300 per week in federal unemployment assistance with another $100 a week…

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The Washington Post: Trump’s mail ballot claims are part of a long history of voter suppression

By Alanna Joyner / August 4, 2020 / Comments Off on The Washington Post: Trump’s mail ballot claims are part of a long history of voter suppression

Trump continued his long exhausted list of false claims about vote-by-mail in the 2020 election last Thursday, going so far as to suggest that the election be “delayed”, despite having no authority to do so. Trump’s suggestion prompted lawmakers from both sides publicly rejecting the suggestion and Trump’s false claim that mail-in ballots would result…

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Port City Daily: The Covid-19 safety nets are gone. Now a flood of evictions is here.

By Alanna Joyner / August 3, 2020 / Comments Off on Port City Daily: The Covid-19 safety nets are gone. Now a flood of evictions is here.

Last week marked the end of statewide eviction moratoriums in more than 30 states, including North Carolina, that had protections for renters in the CARES Act. More than 40 million Americans may lose their homes — almost four times the amount seen during the Great Recession. In North Carolina, Gov. Cooper mandated a months-long statewide…

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The News & Observer: With weekly $600 gone, NC unemployment benefits alone are not enough, workers say

By Alanna Joyner / July 29, 2020 / Comments Off on The News & Observer: With weekly $600 gone, NC unemployment benefits alone are not enough, workers say

As Congress debates how to shape the next phase of coronavirus relief, the extra $600 federal unemployment benefits that were legislated through the CARES Act have now expired for millions across the country.  The last payment rolled out this past weekend, as the House and Senate are considering different economic stimulus packages.  Instead of extending…

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Millions of Americans are about to experience utility shutoffs, evictions and loss of homes

By Alanna Joyner / July 28, 2020 / Comments Off on Millions of Americans are about to experience utility shutoffs, evictions and loss of homes

Numerous moratorium on evictions across the nation, including in North Carolina, are set to end in the coming days. According to a Census Bureau survey, almost 24 million Americans say that they don’t expect to be able to make their next monthly rent or mortgage payment, as the blockage of utility charges and the eviction…

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NBC News: Trump’s coronavirus reaction failed America. But Congress also failed us — and it has for years

By Alanna Joyner / July 27, 2020 / Comments Off on NBC News: Trump’s coronavirus reaction failed America. But Congress also failed us — and it has for years

As the U.S. hits 4.3 million COVID-19 cases, medical experts are urging leaders to consider shutting down the country and start over to contain the pandemic. Since the early months of the year, the Trump administration missed or ignored the mounting signals of the impending crisis.  Yet, while Trump fumbled our nation’s response and assigned…

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Senate Republicans, White House seek to reduce weekly unemployment benefit from $600 to $200

By Alanna Joyner / July 27, 2020 / Comments Off on Senate Republicans, White House seek to reduce weekly unemployment benefit from $600 to $200

This week, millions of North Carolinians and people across the country will see a drastic reduction in unemployment benefits as the additional $600 federal UI  is set to stop at the end of the month.  In March, the federal government agreed to send an additional $600 to unemployed workers from the CARES Act. Talks of…

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