Economy

John Merrick: Prominent Business Leader from Durham

By Alanna Joyner / February 24, 2021 / Comments Off on John Merrick: Prominent Business Leader from Durham

In an effort to celebrate Black History Month, Progress NC Action is highlighting prominent Black leaders from North Carolina, who have shaped our state through their contributions to arts, sciences, politics, etc. In the early 1900’s, Black-owned businesses in Durham, North Carolina can be traced back to the efforts of two African-American entrepreneurs:Charles Spaulding and…

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N.C. General Assembly Debate School Reopening, COVID-19 Relief

By Alanna Joyner / February 9, 2021 / Comments Off on N.C. General Assembly Debate School Reopening, COVID-19 Relief

Last Thursday, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper laid out his budget recommendations for COVID-19 relief spending, which includes one time bonuses for teachers and school personnel, recovery for businesses and further efforts to stop the spread of the virus. Cooper’s budget recommendations for allocating federal funding comes as the Republican-led General Assembly already passed an…

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Progressive Pulse: NC General Assembly can afford to go all-in to address COVID-19 harm

By Alanna Joyner / January 21, 2021 / Comments Off on Progressive Pulse: NC General Assembly can afford to go all-in to address COVID-19 harm

Last Wednesday, the North Carolina General Assembly officially began its two-year session, with COVID-19 relief spending, a two-year state budget, school spending and redistricting among the top agenda items this year.  Prior to the NCGA’s adjournment, the Republican-led legislature failed to address long standing unmet needs for struggling North Carolinians. According to the state’s latest…

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Cardinal & Pine: ‘We Have to Act’: Biden Announces $1.9 Trillion Relief Package

By Alanna Joyner / January 19, 2021 / Comments Off on Cardinal & Pine: ‘We Have to Act’: Biden Announces $1.9 Trillion Relief Package

Last week, President-elect Joe Biden announced a two part, $1.9 trillion relief plan that aims to tackle the many crises COVID-19 has imposed and Trump has failed to tackle, including unemployment, financial aid to struggling families and small businesses, and vaccine production. Extending the emergency unemployment insurance program, raising the minimum wage to $15 per…

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The News & Observer: Families are struggling while billions sit unused in NC. Legislators are to blame

By Alanna Joyner / December 8, 2020 / Comments Off on The News & Observer: Families are struggling while billions sit unused in NC. Legislators are to blame

Both federal and state unemployment, protections against evictions and other key stimulus programs are set to expire in the coming weeks. Without the new aid, millions of Americans are at risk as the pandemic worsens.  After months of failed negotiations, the House and Senate have resumed stimulus amid the impending housing and economic crisis, yet…

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We know how to prevent up to 40 million people from being evicted. It’s up to Congress to do it

By Alanna Joyner / November 27, 2020 / Comments Off on We know how to prevent up to 40 million people from being evicted. It’s up to Congress to do it

New Year’s Eve marks the end of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) national eviction moratorium. The expiration of the eviction moratorium would result in millions of Americans losing their homes as COVID-19 cases continue to surge. According to the Aspen Institute, nearly 40 million Americans could face eviction over the next several…

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Long-Concealed Records Show Trump’s Chronic Losses and Years of Tax Avoidance

By Alanna Joyner / September 28, 2020 / Comments Off on Long-Concealed Records Show Trump’s Chronic Losses and Years of Tax Avoidance

On Sunday, The New York Times released a report extending more than two decades of tax-return information from Trump and the hundreds of companies that make up his business organization. According to the report, Trump paid just $750 in federal income tax in 2016 and 2017 — the year he ran for office, and due…

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N.C. Policy Watch: GOP COVID-19 relief bill fails to help people in need

By Alanna Joyner / September 8, 2020 / Comments Off on N.C. Policy Watch: GOP COVID-19 relief bill fails to help people in need

On Friday, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper signed a $1 billion coronavirus relief bill into law. The COVID-19 relief bill seeks to spend more than $900 million in funding left over from the $4 billion sent by Congress as part of the CARES Act. The bill, proposed by Republican leaders in the North Carolina General…

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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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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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