Letter to Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith - Stimulate our entire national economy in light of the coronavirus pandemic

March 25, 2020

The Honorable Cindy Hyde-Smith

United States Senate

Washington, D.C. 20510

RE: WHAT WE NEED TO STIMULATE OUR ENTIRE NATIONAL ECONOMY IN LIGHT OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC

Dear Senator Hyde-Smith,

On behalf of the Mississippi State Conference of NAACP branches, I urge you not put the welfare of big corporations before the American people in any economic stimulus package.  The Families First Coronavirus Response Act, which has now been signed into law, was a first step toward supporting U.S. families through this global health emergency. Everyone agrees much more needs to be done.  

The American people deserve truly representative Federal leadership.  We all need to know in this time of crisis our government is watching out for us, and will protect all of us, regardless of our stage or station in life.  Specifically, all Americans deserve high-quality and affordable health care access and coverage; we need to ensure adequate food assistance; we need paid medical leave that supports all workers and their families so they do not put themselves or others at additional risk of infection and so they can care for one another; unemployment assistance for all American workers, regardless of status as full time, part time, contractors, or self-employed; and we need to guarantee the mental health of everyone is protected in these times of isolation, crisis, and for too many people, despair. 

We must immediately address the needs of our children.  To ensure every child, regardless of their age, where they live, or how much their family income may be, has full wireless internet access as well as the necessary educational resources is a must.  Parents are faced with numerous challenges when their child’s school is closed; how to keep up in their classwork should not be one of them.  

All Federal, state and local environmental protection laws must continue to be upheld.  Our current national disaster should not be an excuse for one down the line. 

We must also do all we can to protect our prison populations.  This includes a dramatic increase in the emergency appropriation for public defenders across our nation; an immediate review of who is in prison, and why.  If an individual is incarcerated and does not pose a threat to another person or to society as a whole, then he or she should be released from a scenario likely to become a “viral hotbox.”  This is especially true of people who are elderly, infirmed or in prison or jail simply because they cannot afford bond or bail.  We also need to ensure that individuals released from prison have the necessary supports to protect themselves through expanded access to Medicaid and the removal of any barriers to public benefits or work/drug testing requirements based on a prior conviction.  We need also need to ensure that we have adequate funding for emergency preparedness/disaster relief should jails and/or prison need to be evacuated.

We must also, in this first economic stimulus legislation, do all we can to ensure that our democracy and our commitment to our Constitution stay strong.  This means adequate funding for states to ensure every qualified American is allowed to cast a secret, unfettered ballot and that their vote is counted.  Likewise, we must provide adequate funding to fully and fairly administer the 2020 Census, and to ensure everyone is counted.

Lastly, too many Americans already saw too much of their paychecks going to repay their student loans.  A temporary relief is not a genuine relief.  An individual who had to delay the purchase of their first home or their first car because of massive student debt is unlikely to regain their economic footing following this crisis in the immediate future.  That is why total loan forgiveness for frontline defenders--government workers, first responders, teachers and those who work in the nonprofit sector-- in what is sure to be a long recovery is so important.  It will have a positive impact on the economy and eliminate one additional burden for those who care for the nation in crisis.

We must use this crisis to demonstrate to heretofore underserved, under-resourced, and marginalized communities that the U.S. government cares, and that they are not forgotten.  I look forward to continuing to work with you to ensure that our specific recommendations are included in any final economic stimulus package you which will help all Americans.  Thank you for your consideration of our position. 

Sincerely,