While February Job Growth is Encouraging, Unemployment Remains at Critical Levels Due to the Coronavirus Crisis, Underscoring Need for Direct Economic Relief to American Families
In response to the February jobs report showing nearly 10 million Americans are still unemployed as the coronavirus crisis persists, Protect Our Care’s Coronavirus War Room Director Zac Petkanas released the following statement:
“While encouraging that the economy added 379,000 jobs in February, with nearly 10 million Americans still unemployed as the coronavirus crisis persists, it’s clear we can no longer afford to delay passing President Biden’s American Rescue Plan.
“Biden’s proposal offers the badly needed investments to boost the economy back past pre-pandemic levels with direct stimulus checks, expanded unemployment insurance, state and local aid to keep essential workers like nurses, firefighters and EMTs on the job, assistance for families struggling to make rent and mortgage payments, and the funding for a national testing and vaccine distribution effort that will finally get this pandemic under control.
“Every moment of delay pushes us further into economic crisis. Unfortunately, Senate Republicans are already making a full-court press to delay and obstruct the passage of the bill, hurting the very people they claim to represent.
“Let’s be clear: any Senate Republican who further attempts to chop up the bill during the upcoming debate is making a deliberate choice to unnecessarily extend this economic crisis with their continued partisan obstruction.”